The Dark Secret
by emodinosaurX3
Summary: Cain Roman carries a dark secret, but wishes he were just like everyone else at Hogwarts. He will learn that there is a reason vampires do not fall in love. Takes place in the Marauder's Era.
1. Prologue, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**PROLOGUE  
CAIN

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**

A handsome lone figure stood at the edge of the lake, his toes tickled by the gentle nips of the freezing black water. His hands were stuffed in black slacks while matte black hair gently swayed with the wind. And even though the air was sharp and cold, he remained shirtless, his chest finely chiseled and pallid.

The elders told him that it was not in their nature to feel much emotion. They told him it was weak, but he felt very weak at the moment. His nutmeg eyes were narrowed and filled with utter sadness, but they remained dry. His flawlessly-shaped lips were pulled into a slight frown as his gazed averted from ripple to ripple of the lake. The elders were right. The elders were always right. He was wrong to think differently. He'd been a _fool_ to think differently.

He'd gotten what he had wanted. He fell in love, but it cost him his secret. The headmaster had told him he'd had to keep his identity confidential from the students, or else he would not be able to learn any longer at his school. And he did. He kept it secret for seven years, but when he met her, things changed. Rules were broken that shouldn't have been broken; stories were told that shouldn't have been told. He'd lost his place at the school and was driven back to where he came from.

He was ashamed. He'd brought shame to his clan, and now everybody feared them even more for what they were. Was it so bad that he'd made one mistake? Of course it was. It cost him his dignity and her life.

Banished. He was banished from both the school and his clan. The forest was no longer his home. He was left to fulfill the title of a savage.

In addition to his loneliness, his heart was shattered. The elders had told him that it was not in their nature to feel romance, that it led to destruction. There was a reason why their kind did not fall in love. But he was stubborn. He was greedy. He wanted to knowledge, _thirsted_ for it. He wanted to experience. Meeting the humans at the school provided him with great teachers. He studied them, learned from them, but he would never fully comprehend it unless he experimented. It wouldn't have been hard for him to find someone to experiment with. After all, he was beautiful, a handsome young man beyond compare. The girls practically worshipped him.

However, he was told that it didn't just come with anyone. The spark, that is. It came with someone especially special. He spent years searching for her, really connecting gazes with each female, but nothing. Until he finally met her, that is.

And then, everything suddenly fell from his grasp. He'd lost control and everything before his eyes went to madness. The black curtain fell over his eyes and he was no longer who he'd attained to be. Everything he worked for was gone.

He shuddered at the memory. He'd had everything at that school, and, within an instant, it had vanished. He'd been stripped of his pride and left to fend for himself. Not even his clan would hear him out. He was banished by the elders and granted eternally shame for what he'd done. To them, _he'd_ ruined everything _they'd_ worked for, for many years.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The tide had rose and the lake now covered his bare feet, soaking the hems of his slacks. That life was gone. He had to start anew. He turned his back on the majestic castle that towered above the tallest of trees from across the lake and walked up the pebbled shore of the small island. His past was bloody, but his future, he knew, would be bloodier.


	2. Chapter One, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER ONE  
CAIN

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**

A tall, strapping young man walked into the potions classroom, taking a seat next to a dainty, platinum blonde-haired girl. All eyes were glued to him, as his presence did tend draw everyone's attention. The young man was dressed finely in his school uniform, his blue and gold tie tied perfectly and his robes bearing a Ravenclaw emblem on his left breast. His face was so handsome many believed quite impractically that he was rather a god than a student. His black hair was flawlessly combed and it shined in the flame's light, his eyes like amber gems.

The girl looked up briefly and smiled before looking back down at her parchment. If her eyes lingered too long on his face, she'd become just like every other girl, drooling and staring like a dimbo.

"Hello, again, Aislinn," the young man said in a voice most would call melodic. Aislinn thought the same.

"Hello, Cain," she replied in a softer tone. Cain smiled widely at his shy friend and looked forward, waiting for Professor Slughorn to enter the room. Cain, with his very keen sense of hearing, overheard many of the soft whispers that traveled the classroom, all mentioning his arrival and his beauty.

Cain had always found it rather odd that every female he came in contact with seemed to fall into a catatonic state of ogling. He soon learned that those females thought him the most beautiful creature they'd ever come across, which baffled him even more. There was nothing beautiful about being what he was. His lifestyle wasn't nice or sweet or gentle. As a matter of fact, his lifestyle consisted of those very antonyms: terrible, bitter, and rough. If they'd known what he really was, then they wouldn't think so fondly of him.

He could very distinctly remember seven years ago Albus Dumbledore traversing through the Forbidden Forest, a crisp envelope in his hand with a red seal on the back of it. The envelope had been for Cain himself. Dumbledore had searched through the forest just to give it to him personally. When he told him what it was, Cain was in shock. He wasn't the only one.

The elders of his clan were almost outraged. Cain had been invited to attend Dumbledore's school, Hogwarts, where he would learn to use magic. According to the elders, their kind didn't use magic. Their kind never used magic. After much persuading from Dumbledore, the elders finally let Cain attend the school. They agreed that his secret would be kept secret from everyone at the school, including the staff. The elders seemed more comfortable with this, yet they still did not understand why the school headmaster wanted their young fledgling boy.

Cain succeeded greatly at Hogwarts. He was a fast learner, became a fantastic dueler—perhaps the best at the school—and gained many, many friends. And his secret remained safe.

However, the longer Cain stayed amongst the students, he began to learn they experienced things he'd never seen. He learned of the emotion _love_, and he became very curious. What was it like to fall in love, he often wondered. What was it like to feel The Spark? It became his mission to attain this feeling, yet, seven six years later, he remained unsuccessful in the art of romance.

A rather round, plump, short man sporting a large, white mustache and velvet robes walked into the room, clapping his fat hands together.

"Good afternoon, class!" he announced in a hearty voice. "Now, have we all got our textbooks open? I'd like to start on page 220 where we will be introduced to Murtlap Essence, the solution to healing your wounds."

"Enjoy Care of Magical Creatures, Aislinn?" asked Cain as they flipped the thin pages of their textbooks. Aislinn shrugged her shoulders.

"A bit. We were introduced to Aethonons, but then we were given an essay due this Friday describing why an Aethonon is so vital to the wizarding ecosystem," she said.

"Oh, well that's simple, really," Cain said, chuckling. "Aethonons feed on Bundimums, and if Aethonons did not exist, then the Bundimums would overpopulate and destroy millions of people's homes. I'd say that's quite vital, wouldn't you?"

Aislinn tried hard not to stare up at Cain. This should have been no surprise to her, his vast knowledge of many magical creatures. She was surprised he wasn't taking the course himself. He was guaranteed an O on his exams.

"Oh, of course," she murmured. "Thank you."

"Alright, class, now Murtlap Essence, or the Essence of Murtlap, is derived from tentacles of a Murtlap—could anyone tell me what a Murtlap is?" Professor Slughorn asked.

A few unsure hands slowly went up. Aislinn and the rest of the class anticipated Cain to raise his hand in the air. It would be no surprise if he knew the answer. As a matter of fact, they _knew_ Cain knew the answer. And, surely enough, his hand went up.

Professor Slughorn browsed his option of hands and his beady eyes finally fell on Cain. A smile lifted the edges of his walrus mustache. "Ah, Mr. Roman. Would you tell us what a Murtlap is?"

"A Murtlap is a rodent which usually resides near the seashore. What distinguishes them are the sea anemone-like growths on their back. They do tend to attack when stepped on, but they really only eat crustaceans," he explained matter-of-factly. Professor Slughorn beamed.

"Very well, my boy. Ten points to Ravenclaw," he said. Cain smiled proudly, but his correct answer bought dirty looks from the Slytherin boys who shared his class. However, the same could not be said for the Slytherin girls. Cain remained oblivious to their allured ogling mingled with expressions that attempted to be furious with him.

"As Mr. Roman much ingeniously explained, Murtlaps bear a strange-looking sea anemone growth on their backs, and it is these tentacles where we get our antidote. When strained and pickled, this solution could heal any cursed or infection wound. Quite useful, if I do say so myself.

"Now," Slughorn continued as he turned his back to the class to write on the blackboard, "take out a quill and parchment and copy down these questions." He began to untidily scribble down three questions. "They can be found throughout the section and will be due at the end of class. You may work with a partner, if you wish. Happy reading!" Slughorn waved his hands in the air, as if to dismiss his class, and the students went to work.

"Right. Well, these aren't too bad," Cain said aloud, copying down Slughorn's questions in a much neater and more elegant script than his professor's. Cain looked up at Aislinn and smiled. "We'll finish in no time."

Aislinn smiled shyly back and bent her head down to finish copying the questions.

Cain hadn't exaggerated when he'd said the two would be done in no time. Actually, what he should have said was that he _himself_ would be done in no time. Within seven minutes, Cain had thoroughly answered Slughorn's questions, each with an analysis and evidence of the text. He stood from his chair, fixed his tie, and then took his paper to Slughorn's desk. The class had held their breath. None were surprised that Cain was the first to finish these questions. Most were still having trouble answering the first. They required lots of thinking and reading of the text.

"Finished already, Cain?" asked Slughorn as Cain handed him his parchment. "Although, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, now should I? You've always been the top in your year." Slughorn chuckled and Cain grinned.

"Now, professor. I wouldn't say the _best_," he said modestly. Slughorn grunted and stroked one side of his mustache, reading each word of his answers.

"Well now, I can't say that I'm not impressed. Very well, Mr. Roman. You may do any work from other classes for the rest of the hour."

"Sir, I was hoping that you'd give me an extra lesson, not to boast, of course. I'm just so fascinated by the mastery of potions," Cain said. Slughorn eyed him warily. He'd never known any student to ask for extra work. He'd known _he'd_ never asked for extra work back when he was a student.

"Very well," said Slughorn with a nod, "but only after you've finished your other work. I don't want the other students to think you're ingratiating yourself."

Cain chuckled. "I understand, sir," he replied with a nod. He turned his back to his teacher and walked back towards his desk. He pulled out the extra credit he did not need from Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class and opened his text.

"Extra credit? I wasn't aware you needed it," Aislinn said, perplexed. Cain chuckled.

"No, but I do love studying it. Might study the art of transfiguring myself into an animal."

"An Animagus?"

"Fascinating, isn't it? I find it very well interesting," Cain said. "If you were to become an Animagus, which animal would you choose?"

Aislinn pondered for a bit. "Probably what my Patronus is: a swan. They're beautiful and elegant."

"What a perfect match," Cain said. "You fit those qualities just right." Aislinn's fair cheeks burned to a deep carnation pink. "I don't think I'd choose my Patronus. A vampire bat isn't very appealing."

"But you could use your form in many tactful ways. Bats have an amazing sense of hearing. You could eavesdrop in situations when needed. And they're small, so you could hide easily when danger is near," Aislinn pointed out. Cain smiled.

"How very true. I didn't think of that," he said. Aislinn smiled and looked down at her paper.

"I should continue. I'm almost finished anyway," she mentioned and Cain agreed to let her work.

Even after ten minutes since Cain had turned in his paper, nobody had finished theirs, other than Aislinn. However, the classroom remained soft with buzzing of whispers, of students asking others where to find some of the answers. Professor Slughorn had drifted off to a peaceful nap where he snores sounded every five minutes. Cain and Aislinn worked together on Cain's extra credit, Cain teaching Aislinn a few things. Aislinn was also very bright, Cain knew. He enjoyed talking to her about their studies, since she was one of the very few who actually knew what he was talking about.

A couple of minutes later, a chair scraping against the wooden floor echoed through Cain's ears and he slowly glanced upward to see who had finished. Professor Slughorn immediately awoke with a snort, as if he'd known it was his cue to collect the paper.

A girl walked down the aisle of desks, her Slytherin robes billowing behind her. Cain only caught the back of her head, which was toppled with pinpoint-straight locks of bright burgundy that ended near the small of her back. She wasn't very tall, perhaps a tad smaller than Aislinn, bore nice curves in all the right places. He watched absentmindedly Professor Slughorn grin at her work and nod with approval. He piled it on top of Aislinn's and Cain's papers and she turned around. Finally, he saw her face.

She was quite attractive with deep green eyes and soft, pale skin. A long fringe of her burgundy hair fell over some of her left eye. She hugged herself as she made her way back to her seat, and Cain watched her the entire way, an eyebrow arched. She made eye contact with him for a brief moment, gazed at him curiously, and then turned back around.

Cain had recognized her face, but the colors of her eyes and hair were different. He knew her as Azazel, the Metamorphmagus. She, too, was quite clever, but he knew she had an irritating friend, Thai, who was also in their year, and in his House as well. Cain mostly ignored Thai, as his taunts and ridicules had no effect on him. He also knew that if he were to let Thai get inside his head, a dangerous end would come upon his fellow Ravenclaw. Cain's unnatural being would most likely bring death upon Azazel's friend. It was because Cain was a vampire, and he knew that Thai suspected him of being something not human.


	3. Chapter Two, Azazel

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWO  
AZAZEL

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**

When class was dismissed, Azazel combed a lock of her long burgundy hair behind one of her ears and tucked her Potions supplies into her black shoulder bag. She slung it over her shoulder and stood from her chair.

She'd felt Cain Roman's shiny eyes lingering on her when she'd passed him while turning in her paper, and she'd looked at him briefly as well. Ever since she'd first seen him in the Great Hall first year for the Sorting Ceremony, she'd known something was quite different about him. It wasn't his abnormal beauty, but, then again, she wasn't quite sure if it wasn't. She'd always been the one girl who didn't fall under Cain's grace; at least she'd tried not too. She didn't respect those tittering girls who drooled over his footsteps. Azazel knew she'd die if she ever became one of them.

However that still didn't mean she didn't think Cain was attractive. She knew he was. Everybody knew he was. She just didn't see it fit to ogle at his presence. He was beautiful—how wonderful. But it wasn't his beauty she was interested in. It was what he was hiding. Azazel was very intuitive, perhaps one of the most in her year, and she knew Cain wasn't fooling her with his mask.

As she approached the dungeon door of the Potions classroom, she was immediately flanked by her best friend, Thai Hetzen, a Ravenclaw with curly nutmeg locks and the thinnest figure she had ever seen. He was tall, too—an entire foot taller than herself—which didn't exactly help his appearance. As usual, he was sporting his trademark scowl, his eyebrows narrowed heavily over big diamond grayish-blue eyes.

"Roman's been staring again," he snarled in her ear, a tone entirely meant for the mysterious handsome boy rather than herself. "He looked at you when you passed him."

This was a typical conversation Azazel tended to have with Thai. This hadn't been the first time he'd caught Cain looking at her. Like herself, Thai also figured something was different about Cain, but he took it in the complete opposite attitude than she. He thought he was a horrid creature, a _monster_. After all, no human being could possibly be so beautiful, according to Thai. His theories were ridiculous, and she tended to tire of them quickly. Thai also became quite protective of Azazel over the entire Cain topic, as if merely speaking with him would cause Azazel's death. He gave her unreasonable demands, such as never speaking to him, never sharing with him, never being _near_ him—unless Thai was with her, of course. Sometimes Azazel seemed to question Thai's authority—was he her best friend or her father?

She sighed heavily. "Yes, Thai, I'm aware."

"And I also noticed you looked at him back!" Thai hissed.

"Am I forbidden to even _glance_ at him?"

"Might as well. For all we know, he could be concocting something hideous that may harm you. After all, he is a monster."

Azazel glared and, involuntarily, her eyes flashed black as she reeled on him. She hated it when Thai accused Cain of being a monster, even if she didn't hold any serious affection for him. It became irksome for her to hear these crude and absurd accusations, especially after seven years.

Thai crossed his arms. "I always knew you fancied that odd prat," he sneered.

"I don't fancy him!" she exclaimed. Thai merely rolled his eyes.

"We're going to be late for class. Let's go."

* * *

Azazel sat in her place at the Slytherin dining table in the Great Hall for supper. Golden platters of fried chicken, fish and chips, juicy steaks, and many other appetizing main course dishes were spread across the long tables of each House. She grabbed for a golden plate and began to pick out a couple of crispy fried chicken legs and scooped some coleslaw and mashed potatoes onto her dish. Many of her friends were jealous by the fact that Azazel could consume whatever she wanted and never gain a pound.

"Care of Magical Creatures is getting pathetic," snarled one of her good friends, Alixxis Randell, a tall and thin girl with long glossy black hair and paper white skin. She was sitting on Azazel's left side and cutting her steak into squares. "We study Aethonons, don't even get to search for them through the bloody Forbidden Forest, and are granted an essay due this Friday. I swear, as seventh years we should be granted the opportunity at studying and seeking more dangerous creatures." Her tone suddenly lowered and leaned in towards Azazel. "I've been through the Forbidden Forest. There are far more magical creatures of dark and dangerous distinctness than an Aethonon. I don't want to learn about _horses_. I want to learn about …" She paused for a brief moment. _"… vampires."_

"Vampires, Alixxis?" Azazel asked skeptically. "They don't _live_ in the Forbidden Forest. They're civilized, just like us. Haven't you paid any attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"The books are _wrong_, Azazel. One day you'll have to come with me. I've spied on them—they almost caught my scent, once. Quite terrifying, but the exhilaration is fascinating. They're savages. They're _wild_. They hunt for blood of both humans and animals. And the way they _feed_! It's so alluring. Oh Azazel—sometimes I wish to be just like one of them. They're so free!"

Azazel stared at her friend. Alixxis was quite imaginative. She'd realize what she was saying was madness in a couple of days, she always did.

"Besides, Snape agrees with me," Alixxis added, nudging a pale boy with a gaunt face and shoulder-length greasy black hair who sat next to her. He looked up from his plate at her with his grey eyes, puzzled?

"Huh?"

"Just say yes," she said.

"What for?" he inquired suspiciously. Alixxis shifted her gaze back to Azazel.

"He agrees. He's just too busy gawking at ratty Evans at the pansy table," she said with her nose in the air. Snape whipped his head around and glared at her.

"I am _not_!" he insisted with a growl. Alixxis narrowed her eyebrows.

"Good, because she's a filthy Mudblood and you're too good to even _look_ at the likes of her."

Snape was quiet during the brief moment he stared across the hall to the Gryffindor table. Azazel followed his gaze and met with a chatty redhead who appeared bright and bubbly. Her insides churned. Alixxis had informed her of Snape's attraction for the Muggle-born girl their second year when she'd finally gotten it out of him. She remembered being repulsed by the mere fact that someone like Snape could fall in love with a girl like Evans. However, now that Evans was dating the deranged and annoying Potter from Gryffindor, Snape had fallen broken-hearted and detested the both of them.

"I know," Snape finally mumbled as his gaze broke from Evans' smiling face. Seeing Snape broken-hearted only made Azazel's heart reach out for him even more, but she was relieved that his affections for the Mudblood Gryffindor had died.

"Anyway, back to what I was—oh bloody hell, Azazel. You're annoying Ravenclaw twit is coming this way," Alixxis groaned, looking above her head. Azazel looked from Alixxis's leering gaze and turned to meet Thai's leering gaze he returned to her fellow Slytherin. His robes billowed behind him, baggy and hanging off of his skeletal frame. His curls bounced from his fast-paced walk.

"Azazel, a word?" he murmured, ignoring the sneers he was receiving from Snape, Alixxis, and the rest of the Slytherin House.

"What could you possibly want to tell her now that you can't tell her any of the other hours you spend with her?" sneered Alixxis. Azazel shot her a sharp look, but Alixxis ignored it. Thai glared at her.

"Unlike you, Slytherin brat, I am Azazel's _true_ friend. I have every right to speak with her whenever I feel," Thai snapped back. Azazel sighed heavily as Alixxis's face pinched together.

"Oh please, you two!" she exclaimed and slammed her palms on the wooden table. She stood from the table and was face with Thai's chest. She tilted her chin upward with an annoyed look and crossed her arms over her torso. "Could we make this quick? I'm hungry, Thai."

Thai led Azazel outside the Great Hall, heading towards a large gargoyle that guarded the room for privacy. Azazel, her arms still folded over her well-developed chest, briefly shook her head to shake the hair that had fallen in her face away, and leaned against the pedestal of the gargoyle.

"What's on your mind, Thai?"

"Azazel, Roman's been staring at you for the past fifteen minutes. He's not listening to my demands to let you be," he said hastily with anger. Azazel's eyebrows slowly lowered over her eyes.

"This is about Cain Roman?" she asked slowly and softly, her tone dripping with annoyance.

"Azazel, if this was anybody else, I wouldn't give a damn. But this is _Cain Roman_. He's vile. He's a _monster_," Thai said.

"What has he done to you? He's different, I'll give him that, but vile? I don't think so. He's never done anything to prove that," Azazel argued.

"He doesn't have to; I have intuition," he replied. Azazel arched an eyebrow skeptically.

"You have _intuition_?" she repeated.

"Need you ask?"

"Sometimes," Azazel muttered. She sighed heavily again. "Look, Thai, you're my best friend and I trust you, but I'm afraid your theories don't quite buy my belief. Cain is kind and has done nothing to you or me to deserve these ridiculous accusations."

Thai stared at her for the longest time before sighing heavily himself. He shook his head, his curls falling in his face.

"Azazel, one day you'll see that Roman is not right. I know you will. You already believe that there's something different about him—"

"Yes, exactly. I believe that there's something different about him, not that there's anything wrong with him," Azazel interrupted.

"I'm going to show you. _I'm_ going to bring him out. Cain Roman's hid in the shadows for six years now, but his fake identity won't hold much longer, Azazel. Roman can no longer hide. Never has he fooled me with his lies. I'm surprised he's fooled you."

"He hasn't fooled me. I've told you that I've seen through him, I just don't believe something is _wrong_ with him."

Azazel stared headstrong at Thai, connecting with his gaze. Thai was too proud to admit he had best friends, but Azazel knew she was his, as he was hers. Though they constantly argued about Cain Roman and his true identity, they both knew that their friendship would never falter.

They both sighed heavily and their gazes fell to the ground.

"I'm going back to finish my dinner," she said finally. Thai nodded. After that, the two of them walked back into the hall and separated to their Houses. Azazel watched Thai sit back down, and then drifted unintentionally to Cain. He was sitting next to the blonde petite Ravenclaw girl who hardly ever talked, chatting quite animatedly with her. Apparently to Azazel the girl did like to talk as she was returning the chatter to Cain. She watched as he combed a loose strand of hair back from his face, and how he suddenly smiled at something his friend had said. Other girls from all around were watching him with wide, affectionate eyes, even Slytherin girls, Azazel noticed.

Suddenly, she caught Cain's bright chestnut eyes drift her way and her breath caught in her throat. Other girls around her gasped and began talking excitedly, claiming that instead of Azazel, Cain was looking at them. Perhaps they were right. However, within a blink, Cain's gaze returned to the Ravenclaw girl and Azazel couldn't clarify whether he'd been looking at her again.

Immediately she began scolding herself mentally for even obsessing just the slightest over Cain and his gazes. However, her thoughts suddenly refocused on his identity. What could Cain be hiding, and why could he be hiding it?

Around her, the excited whispers of Cain's gazing fluttered across the groups of Slytherin girls. Beside her, Alixxis groaned and began describing the idiocy of said girls to Snape. However, everything was drowned out besides the thoughts swimming in her mind. She was determined to figure out what Cain was hiding, and she was going to prove Thai wrong; that Cain was perfectly fine … just different.


	4. Chapter Three, Thai & Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER THREE  
THAI

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**

Thai was not affected by Azazel's tone and merely shrugged it off when he returned to his table. He loved her too much as a sister to ever hate her for the way she disagreed with him, though of course he never admitted it, but he didn't have to, since Azazel already knew. However, it didn't mean he couldn't be frustrated with her. He just couldn't understand how she could stand up for the most arrogant student at school, Roman. He thought it pathetic that he needed to charm people to hide his identity. Fortunately, Thai saw right through him. Cain Roman's charms held no effect to him.

When he'd finished supper, he left the hall and quickly walked back to Ravenclaw Tower. The longer he was alone, the better. Thai wasn't exactly popular, thanks to his unruly attitude. He was fond of a group of Gryffindors who called themselves the "Marauders" but they were about it, however Azazel was the only person he really shared anything with. The Marauders were a thrill to hang around when Thai was etching for some mischief, but other than that, he hardly spoke to them.

A fire was already crackling in the fireplace as the moonlight's glow poured through the tall, glass-paned windows. A large painting of their House founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, hung above the wide mantle, a bronze eagle landing on her shoulder as she smiled with dignity, her long, glossy black hair falling in tangled curls over her shoulder. Other portraits of Ravenclaw alumni shrouded the elegant sapphire walls, joining fancy tapestries and their House emblem. The domed ceiling and circular room provided an airy location, stars painted up top and azure loveseats and armchairs surrounding the room. Several bookcases were placed around the room, and a life-size white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw stood beside the door leading to the dormitories.

A couple of Ravenclaw seventh years lingered about the common room as Thai walked in, but they were minding their own business and Thai didn't mind them there. He fell into a cushiony armchair in front of the fire and perched his feet on top of the dark, wooden coffee table. Thai tilted his head back and noticed Rowena Ravenclaw smiling at him, her diadem bright and shining, even in the painting.

He sighed and thought carefully of all the evidence Thai had collected that Roman was not human. He didn't eat much—hardly ever during meal services; one might question anorexia if he didn't have such a fantastic figure—and he was rarely seen outside. Thai knew Roman had never taken Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures, like the rest of the students had, and he often wondered why. Was he allergic to plants and animals? Did he have a skin condition that made him unable to step into the sun? It was no wonder the boy was so pallid, like death itself.

The door to the common room opened again. Thai ignored the interruption until he heard the melodic voice that made him cringe. His eyes squinted shut as he glared, squeezing with all his might the arms of the chair as if he were being tortured.

The unwanted character laughed and Thai felt as if he should off himself, though the thought was completely irrational.

"Honestly, Linn, you must show me this title. The book sounds fabulous," he said, and Thai's ears perked up at the sound of her nickname. He opened one eye and peeked out behind the chair. His eyes lingered on her petite and flawless body, her robes draping over one arm and a book bag hanging over her shoulder. Her long, natural platinum blonde hair trailed down her back, an intricate hair clip in the shape of a topaz butterfly holding the strands that framed her face back, exposing her wide and innocent sky blue eyes, flicks of grey dancing around the pupil.

Nobody made Thai's heart beat louder than Aislinn Blair. Her very presence made Thai's insides dance. Every time he was around her, his eyes constantly lingered to her, her radiant beauty providing a sheer white light around her body.

However, Thai knew that Aislinn was very good friends with Roman, and it made his gut twist in the most agonizing way possible seeing her with him. He longed to tell her his suspicions, but Thai's gut feeling told him that she may not think of him the same, as Azazel does. Aislinn did not know him as well as Azazel, so her outlook on him could, quite sadly, change in a heartbeat.

Aislinn had caught his eyes and he noticed her cheeks blush fervently. One of the factors Thai just adored about Aislinn was her insecurity. She was so shy and gentle and delicate, as if one touch would break her. Her petite frame made him want to hold her for as long as he could so as nothing bad were to ever happen to her. He longed to hold her—he only dreamed of it every night. However, since she lingered around Roman so often, he wasn't sure how to win her heart since Roman had the glance of a god. A mere charm could make Aislinn fall to her knees at his feet. Knowing this only made his hatred towards Roman grow even more.

Once Roman came into his view, Thai's large, swooning eyes narrowed to slits of detest and he threw himself out of the chair, gathered his things, and left for his dormitory he unfortunately shared with him. Thai felt as if he could never escape from Roman, but then again, he thought this a fine privilege, for it gave Thai more opportunities to spy on him and gather evidence on his inhumane nature.

Thai fell onto his silky midnight blue bedspread of his four-poster bed. He propped matching pillows up behind his back and leaned against them, crossing his ankles and his arms behind his head. His eyes darted towards Roman's bed, which always lay tidy and untouched, as if he never went to bed in it. Curiosity drew inside Thai's mind. He'd recognized this suspicion a few years ago—third year to be precise. Why it took him so long to realize, he did not know. He recorded it into his mental list of evidence, which soon had to be transferred onto parchment, and then charmed so that only he could read it, should it be lost.

He pulled out the rolls of parchment from underneath his bottom pillow and took out his wand, muttering an incantation that allowed him to see his writings. Chicken scratch scrawl etched the paper in messy ink. The list was extremely long and consisted of many mentions Thai considered important. He'd made note of not only Roman's sleeping habits (or lack thereof), but also his eating habits (or lack thereof), his avoidance of the outdoors, and his unnatural perfection. If only Thai could place his finger on what Roman could be. He had to organize his evidence. Only then could he come up with possibilities of his true identity. Thai was determined to really figure this out and uncover the truth Cain Roman hid.

* * *

**LINKETH**

**

* * *

**

Inside one of the Slytherin dormitories sat a lonely boy, pressed against the headboard of his four-poster bed, his head bowed in silence. Thick curly locks of whitish-blonde tumbled over his face, hiding the pallor of his mismatching eyes—the left a bluish-grey that appeared almost white, and the right a typical green deprived of its darkness. A baggy, thick, black sweater hung from bony shoulders and black slacks covered the narrowness of his legs. His knees were drawn to his pointed chin and were caressed by his long white fingers that resembled large spiders.

"You can't do this, Dr. Alexander," the boy murmured to no one. An eerie silence shrouded the low room. "You know that is for me to decide."

He slowly pulled out a finely chiseled black wand and lifted the palm of his hand up to his face. He pointed the tip of the wand to the many lines of his palm and, looking through the curly tangles of white that was his hair, he began to mutter an incantation that was not widely known. Suddenly, a thin line of bright red liquid began to fill the lines of his hand. The boy lowered his wand and watched as more thin lines began to appear, spreading across his palm. A sick grin spread across his pale thin lips and he ran his tongue over his teeth. He stuck his tongue out, ran it along his bloody palm, and quickly retracted it, sucking the salty liquid from his tongue. He smacked his lips and softly sighed with content, completely ignoring the pain the slices brought.

Suddenly, the door to the dormitory opened and Linketh's head snapped towards the sound. He quickly withdrew his wand again, muttered in the lowest voice he could a healing spell to make the curse stop, and sucked the rest of the blood from his hand. The figure walked through the dark, approached their bed, and then turned on the gas-lamp. When they spotted the blonde boy on his bed, the figure jumped.

"Kelgasus," said a fellow dorm mate, eyeing the boy suspiciously.

"Snape," he returned in a low, deep voice.

"What are you doing in here, Linketh?" asked Snape, curiously, yet trying to maintain the level of his curiosity.

"What am I not doing in here?" Linketh replied in a riddling tone. Snape narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't have time for you and your pitiful antics," he spat and sat on his bed, untying his shoelaces, and then kicking them off. Snape continued to undress out of his Slytherin robes as Linketh looked away.

"You skipped Potions again," Snape said after he had changed into his pajamas. Linketh smirked.

"You noticed."

"'Course. I'm surprised Slughorn hasn't said anything to you," Snape said with an eye roll.

"He has," Linketh replied. "He deducted points from me." Snape glared.

"You idiot! Are you trying to make us lose the House Cup?" he exclaimed. Linketh shot him a look of death. Snape was one of the sulkiest kids in the school, but no one was sulkier than Linketh Kelgasus. He hated anyone and everyone, and he absolutely hated being yelled at.

"Since when have _you_ cared about the House Cup, Snape?" snarled Linketh.

"I've always cared about the House Cup. It brings dignity to our House," Snape snapped back. Linketh scoffed.

"Our House doesn't need the House Cup to bring us dignity. Haven't you already figured it out, Severus? We're all too-damn-proud slimy gits who all come from pure families. You don't see any Mudbloods walking about the common room, do you?"

Snape glared at him, but mumbled his answer.

"No."

"Right. Now, get your girly undergarments out of a twist and stop worrying over those bloody House points. They're ridiculous."

"I guess you're right. After all, we all know who's winning the Cup this year anyway. With Roman in Ravenclaw, they have the Cup in the bag another year in a row. The other Houses will be glad to have him gone next year so they can be given a chance. Everyone knows he's too damn bloody brilliant," Snape explained with a scowl. Linketh's teeth clenched together at the sound of the Ravenclaw's name.

"Cain Roman is a pathetic excuse for a human being. He's a genius, sure, but he wins everybody's charms but a mere wink because he's so _beautiful_," Linketh mocked in a high-pitched voice. "The git should die where he stands."

"Well I'm surprised you haven't acted. You could have already done something, but you'd rather spend your entire days locked away in this dreary room by yourself, skipping classes and gaining failing marks," Snape taunted.

"I couldn't just kill him willy-nilly, you imbecile," Linketh spat. "I'd be kicked out school and my mother would skin me alive."

"I don't suppose you'd make much of a difference here, considering you're failing your courses. Quite a shame really, since you _are_ brilliant."

Suddenly, Linketh whipped out his wand and pounced from his bed, his tall, lanky form hovering over Snape as he pointed his want at his neck. "I may think twice about killing someone where they stand," Linketh began menacingly, "but I'm not afraid to torture someone on the spot. One more word from your mouth, Snivellus—you like that? The name I adopted from your filthy Gryffindor friends—and the Cruciatus Curse will be running through your veins."

Snape's lips were pursed shut, but he glared with such fiery hatred at his fellow Slytherin. Linketh was pleased to see the fear in Snape's face, and, after a moment of anticipating silence, Linketh took back his wand and shoved it into his pockets. He trudged back to his bed, sat down, and returned to his cradling position, watching Snape's every move.

"Good night, Snivellus Greasy," he sneered and produced a wicked grin that sent chills down even Snape's spine.


	5. Chapter Four, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER FOUR  
CAIN

* * *

**

The library buzzed with soft murmurs as students of various years gathered to study during their free time after lunch. Cain sat at a desk in between ceiling-high shelves, slowly scanning over the miniscule print of his small, but thick, Potions textbook, ignoring the thick, leather-bound books magically floating around him to their correct places. He'd finished the extra lesson Professor Slughorn had given him within the same day he'd retrieved it, and now he was doing some spare-time reading of his own. At the moment, his eyes were lingering on a particular potion: Amortentia, the powerful love potion.

He'd skimmed across this potion many times, always reading it thoroughly to understand its affects. When he'd first asked about the potion to Slughorn, he'd told him that the effects weren't the same as true love, that it was a love of false hope and normally used in an act of desperation. Slughorn didn't act like he wasn't fond of the potion, but rather thought of it as a use for fun. Serious love, he told him, should not involve Amortentia.

Cain always wondered about love. Being what he was, it wasn't in his nature to experience such an emotion. As a matter of fact, it wasn't in his nature to experience many emotions at all. His world revolved around blood—it had to. It was how he survived. The food provided in the Great Hall during meals looked as if it was to be appetizing, but Cain found no appeal to it at all. However, in order to keep the mask he wore strong, he needed to act the part as human, and he knew fully well that humans ate, quite often at that. The human food he consumed did not saturate his appetite. It was tasteless and unappetizing, as if he were swallowing air.

While his thoughts rambled on, consuming his mind, he took no notice to the giggly girls that were approaching him, not until they spoke. Cain lifted his gaze and peered at the two curiously, a smile—making them swoon and struggle to stay on their feet—broke loose on his lips.

They were Hufflepuff girls, one year younger than him, both thin and petite and almost bearing no curves whatsoever. One of the girls—the one who'd called out to him—clutched a book across her flat chest, curls of strawberry color tumbling over her shoulders. The second girl, a blonde with straight hair and a black headband in place, sported a book bag over her shoulder, clutching on to the strap with both of her hands for, what seemed to be, dear life.

"Yes?" Cain answered, noticing the girls's eyes grow wide, along with their silly smiles. He briefly chuckled and one of the girls—the redhead—squeaked, hiding her mouth behind her book. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh yes," answered the blonde. She and her friend quickly walked up to him, unable to resist their swooning. They nosily looked down at his book and beamed.

"You're studying Amortentia, the love potion?" asked the redhead excitedly. Cain fingered the thin page.

"Hmm … not quite," he mused. "Just merely reading."

"That's mighty fine, Cain," flirted the blonde. "You know, I _love_ doing extracurricular reading. Do you fancy potions much?"

"It's one of my favorites," he answered.

"Mine too!" piped the redhead quite eagerly. Cain chuckled again.

"Is it now? So what could I help you two ladies with?" he asked. Both girls exchanged glances and resisted from screaming with joy.

"Well, you see—" began the blonde.

"—Professor Slughorn's annual exclusive Christmas party is coming up—" continued her friend.

"—and we knew you were a part of the Slug Club—"

"—since _third year!_—" The blonde shot her friend a dirty look for her unruly exclaim. The redhead blushed with embarrassment.

"—and we were wondering if you had found anyone to bring," the blonde finished, combing a lock of hair behind her ear. Cain stared at her for a while, noticing how her fair skin was beginning to redden. She batted her eyelashes at him and smiled widely, but he continued to stare at the both of them in confusion.

"Slughorn's Christmas gathering is for another month," Cain mentioned.

"Oh, we know!" said the redhead, nodding her head quickly. "But we were thinking that you could get a head start in searching for dates, not that it should be hard for _you_."

"Oh … well, I appreciate the offer, ladies," Cain began, still a bit baffled that he was already getting asked to go with him to Slughorn's party, "but I must admit that I'm not looking for anyone at the moment. I'm afraid there's quite a bit of time left before the party. It hasn't even been on my mind, quite frankly." He chuckled briefly as he combed his fingers through his glossy black hair. The girls smiles slightly dropped, but his chuckle had saved them from being too upset with his rejection.

"Oh, well that's all right. It is quite early to be asking anyway. After all, we're not even a part of the Slug Club," the blonde girl chuckled nervously. Cain smiled and nodded. "Come on, Atilda, we must get back to the common room, now." With one last farewell smile, both girls turned their backs on Cain and walked the opposite direction. Cain's eyebrows knitted together as he looked back down at the book, folding his hands underneath his chin and propping his elbows on the table.

He could remember his first Slug Club Christmas party. Cain had only been a first year, not even initiated into the club, but he'd been brought by a tall, beautiful Ravenclaw fifth year, who'd fallen head over heels for him. He was quite awkward there, as he was the smallest and youngest member of the party, but his admirable looks bought him the attention of most of the girls at the party, stealing them from their dates, so at least he hadn't been alone.

He hadn't realized that the girls he'd caught the attraction of were so in lust with him, some undoubtedly in _love_ with the first year Ravenclaw. He would just wonder why they were so attracted to him. All he'd done was smile and say hello, and then, immediately, they'd be at his side, trying to get every inch close as they could to him. He would have been terrified if he was merely an eleven-year-old human, but he was a vampire, so if anything, he much enjoyed the company, only for the sensational scent their blood shed off.

Cain had become very good with keeping his appetite down over the years, however, the more he grew, the more he thirsted. When he first arrived at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore had granted him special permission to leave the castle at night whenever he needed so he could feed on an animal in the Forbidden Forest. Though Dumbledore wasn't fond of the thought of feeding on a magical creature, he knew it was better than feeding on a student. Dumbledore knew the lifestyle of a vampire anyhow, and he knew bringing Cain to this school was a great risk. But Cain had pleased him by proving that he could keep his thirst to a minimum. Every night, once the entire castle had fallen into slumber, Cain would slip into old clothes and leave to castle to hunt. Rather than the constant twenty-four hours a day of feeding the vampires possessed, Cain was reduced to four hours of feeding, and he would need it to help him carry on for the rest of the next day.

After he'd realized his thoughts had drifted away from the love potion, he shook his head and began questioning the emotion again. He'd made it his mission to find true love, and so far he remained unsuccessful. The elder vampires couldn't help him, and his fellow students could all but teach him everything they knew, but it was up to Cain himself to fully unlock the mysteries of romance, for he wouldn't know what it was until he experienced it. He watched couples hold hands, embrace each other in their arms, even briefly glance while they slipped each other a couple of kisses here and there, but as much as Cain watched, he still couldn't fully comprehend.

He sighed heavily and the sound of a couple of giggles from the next aisle over caught his ear. He glanced curiously out of the corner of his eye to see yet a group of Gryffindor third years huddled together, their eyes peeking through the empty slots of the bookshelves at him. He closed his book, and stood from the desk. Tucking his book underneath his arm, he heard the girls from the next aisle softly whining in protest at his leave. Begging for just a twinge of privacy, he made way for his common room until his next class arrived.

* * *

Hogsmeade Village was probably the least inviting place for Cain to wander, as far as privacy went, but he rarely got the chance to venture the rustic shopping center, so on gloomy, dark days such as today, he took advantage of the option.

It was only late morning-early afternoon when he and Aislinn were walking about outside, but it already looked close to evening. Cain had asked Aislinn to take a break from her studying and to join him for a day on the town. It didn't take much persuading, and after Cain promised to help her with her Ancient Ruins homework, she agreed. She'd bundled up in black leggings and a grey wool turtleneck dress that reached down to her mid-thigh, a pair of dark boots and a white windbreaker that made her blend in with the snow, and a pair of gloves, a white knit hat over her blonde hair, and a scarf to cover her pallid neck. She'd brought a bag that carried not only her money and some loose papers, but an extra wool hat, a pair of white earmuffs, and her Ravenclaw scarf, in case it got any colder than it already was.

Cain, on the other hand, was dressed in much less clothing, as the weather did not take much affect to his body. He sported black slacks and a navy sweater, his blue and bronze Ravenclaw scarf tied loosely around his neck. He donned no boots, but rather black leather penny loafers, no gloves, and no hat. His black hair blew in the occasional wisps of violent wind, where Aislinn would struggle to stand her ground.

"D-don't y-you r-r-reckon, C-Cain," stuttered Aislinn, her teeth chattering and nose and cheeks completely red from the cold, "that w-we sh-should f-f-find s-s-s-somew-w-where t-to w-warm ours-s-selves?"

Cain looked down at her with curiosity. He hadn't known she'd been so cold.

"Oh, of course, Linn. Is that what you want?" he asked in a concerned tone. She nodded quickly. Cain nodded in response. "Right. How does the Three Broomsticks sound to you?"

They quickly made there way through the snow and walked into the brightly candlelit popular pub. The village wasn't as packed as it normally was during Hogsmeade weekends, perhaps because of the gloomy weather. Today the Three Broomsticks was mainly filled with elder wizards and witches, along with the occasional banshee. As soon as they'd walked through the door, there was immediate warmth that enwrapped the two. Aislinn, rubbing her arms with her gloved hands, sighed with content.

"Why don't you sit by the fire and I'll fetch us some hot drinks," suggested Cain. Aislinn smiled at her friend and nodded in agreement, pushing through the crowds of elderly wizards. Cain approached the bar where the owner of the pub, Madam Rosmerta, stood behind, chatting with a couple of wizards. She glimpsed at Cain from the corner of her eye and immediately grinned.

"Hello, Mr. Roman," she chimed, combing a strand of her curly hair behind her ear. "Don't see you too often now do I?"

"You remember me, Madam?" said Cain with a smile. A fervent rosy color eroded in her fair cheeks.

"'Course I do. How could I not remember someone like you, Mr. Roman?" she chuckled. Little did Cain know that she was hinting to his peculiar handsome face that she could never forget. "What can I get for you?"

"Two warm butterbeers would be excellent," said Cain.

"Two warm butterbeers it is." The pretty barmaid turned and fixed him his order, the butterbeer magically pouring itself into two tall beer mugs. When they were ready, she turned back around and slid him his cups.

"There you are."

"Thank you, Madam." Cain grabbed a hold of the two handles and turned around.

"You enjoy them, sweet pea," she called, and returned to the men she was conversing with.


	6. Chapter Five, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER FIVE  
CAIN

* * *

**

Cain arrived with his and Aislinn's butterbeers and noticed she had found a place to sit with a few of the Gryffindor friends, a group that liked to call themselves the "Marauders." They consisted of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

"Why hello," Cain said cheerfully. "We didn't expect to meet you here."

"Oh you lie, Roman," teased James. "We know how intuitive you are." Cain chuckled as he passed a beer mug to Aislinn and took the empty chair next to her.

"So, are you two on a date?" inquired Sirius with a coy grin. Aislinn flushed a deep crimson and ducked her head. The Marauders laughed lightly as Cain sighed.

"No. We're just out for a stroll in the village. As friends," Cain quickly added so as not to bring much more embarrassment upon Aislinn.

"Good, because dear old Moony here would be quite heartbroken, should his darling fancy be in the arms of another man," James teased, clapping a hand on Remus's shoulder and using the unique nickname the Marauders had given him. Remus bowed his head of wispy brown hair and propped the book he'd been reading up on the bottom edges.

_"Prongs!"_ he hissed in embarrassment, scolding James. This only made the other three Marauders laugh harder.

"So how are things up in Ravenclaw Tower? Enjoying Potions with old Snivellus?" snickered Sirius. Peter snorted. Aislinn's eyebrows furrowed.

"Snivellus?" she repeated in confusion.

"Oh, sorry dear. I meant Snivellus _Greasy_." Sirius and James high-fived whilst Peter chortled away. Remus rolled his eyes.

"I'm afraid we don't quite comprehend," admitted Cain.

"He means Severus Snape, of course," Peter explained, grabbing for his mug of hot chocolate. The portly boy began to guzzle the cup down, leaving him with a brown smearing of a mustache.

"How on earth did you gather Snivellus Greasy from Severus Snape?" asked Aislinn in a lower tone, in case they were being overheard.

James snarled at the sound of his voice. "The prat's after my Evans. He's had his eye on her since first year."

"Lily's told me she's known Severus even before they came to Hogwarts," Aislinn informed. James glared.

"I know. It angers me, since she has yet to accept my proposal to become my girlfriend," he said.

"Yeah, for the bloody umpteenth time," added Sirius. James shot daggers at him.

"We're on better terms now. I'm beginning to think she's actually fancying me," James said wistfully. Remus half-smiled at his friend, lifting his head over his book. Sirius rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Evans is beginning to fancy you? Is she beginning to fall in love with you?" asked Cain curiously. All four of the boys averted their gaze to Cain in puzzlement. Aislinn softly giggled.

"Well, erm, I bloody well hope so. After all, I've been in love with that girl for seven years. Seven damn-long years!"

"That's very sweet, James. I wasn't aware there was such a side to you," Aislinn noted. The other three Marauder's snickered as James tossed her a scowl, revealing a small smile afterward.

"Thanks, Blair," he scowled. Aislinn shrugged, producing an adorably innocent smile while reaching for her mug of butterbeer.

"How will you know if Evans shares your affections for her?" asked Cain.

"You sure have got a lot to ask about Prongs's romance, don't you, Roman?" chuckled Sirius. Cain's eyebrows knitted together briefly before smiling so wide that his amber eyes squinted into slits.

"I'm very curious, in case you hadn't already known," Cain explained. Aislinn glanced up at him before nodding.

"Oh yes. It's how he's so brilliant," she added, leaning in to the table. Remus grinned.

"Well anyway," piped Peter. "We never did finish discussing our friend, Snivellus."

"Oh, right Wormtail," chimed James. He folded his hands together. "How is our lovely friend?"

"I find it quite upsetting that you pick on that boy because he fancies Lily, but he is rather strange and isolate," said Aislinn.

"Apparently you and Evans both feel that way," muttered James with an eye roll.

"Although, he's not as strange as that other bloke, Kelgasus. The lanky Slytherin with the different colored eyes. You know who I'm talking about, right Prongs?" mentioned Sirius. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"He is a tad strange. Ever since first year, people have heard rumors of him," he said.

"A _tad_, Moony? I think not. He's quite _incredibly_ strange, that Kelgasus," said Sirius with a shake of his head.

"Kelgasus shares Potions with us as well, doesn't he?" asked Cain to Aislinn. She nodded.

"That's right. He does isolate himself, even from his own House. I, too, have heard rumors. I hear he was left all alone to raise himself deep in the mountains," said Aislinn.

"Wouldn't be too surprising," scoffed James.

"I hear he hears voices in his head. Some believe he can also talk to snakes," mentioned Sirius.

"A Parslemouth? Kelgasus? That would be interesting," mused Cain, perching his folded hands underneath his chin.

"It would be terrifying! Parslemouths are said to be heirs to Salazar Slytherin," said Aislinn.

"But, of course, that wouldn't be much of a shock," said Sirius. "Slytherins are all creepy blokes."

"You're family derives from Slytherin, though," mentioned Cain.

"Correct. My family's a mess. Why do you think I'm staying with Prongs during holidays?"

"Surely you must love them, though," said Aislinn. Sirius scoffed.

"Don't make me laugh, Blair. Even you couldn't say one nice thing about my family of Slytherins, and you don't even know them. Mum hates me, claims I'm a Mudblood, even though I'm clearly pure of blood," said Sirius. Aislinn frowned and sadness spread across her face. "But don't you worry your pretty face over it, love." He chuckled.

"Padfoot's welcome at my house any day. My folks have practically accepted him as family. Might as well adopt him," said James, nudging Sirius in the side.

"I'm sorry to hear this," Aislinn said.

"It's a shame many of us don't have stable families. Kelgasus, Sirius, myself even," Cain mentioned.

"You too, Roman?" inquired James. Cain nodded.

"Indeed. You could say my home life is quite … _wild_."

"Join the club," muttered Remus. Aislinn shot him a worried look.

"Oh, Remus, not you too!"

"Believe me, Blair. You're probably the only one here with a nice family waiting for you for holidays," said Sirius.

"Well, I can't say it's the best home life, but my mother and my brother are plenty for me," she said.

"And you're father?" asked Remus.

"Her father's gone," answered Cain for her. Aislinn nodded.

"Father figured it better to live among his own kind. He left my mum, brother, and I perhaps when Carter was just a year old. The poor boy never got to know his father," explained Aislinn.

"Muggle father, huh?" James asked.

"Actually, Father was a wizard. It's my mother who's a Muggle. My brother is one as well."

"Really? Judging by your performance in class, though, one would assume you are pureblooded," said Remus. Aislinn cracked a small smile.

"I suppose that is where the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover' comes in, don't you reckon?" He chuckled.

"I guess so," he replied shyly. The two smiled shyly at each other for a couple more minutes while the other Marauders formed their own conversation. Cain watched Remus and Aislinn in their lock of affection, curiously watching Remus. His stench was great. Ever since their first year at Hogwarts, the two of them knew something was off with the other. Remus was perhaps the only person, other than Dumbledore, who knew what Cain really was, because Remus had just as good a nose as he did. Cain could remember the both of them being on unstable terms, but as the years passed, their created a friendship, and kept each other's secrets quiet.

He noticed the twinkle in Remus's eye as he stared at Aislinn, how Aislinn's plump lips formed into an even wider smile, how both of their cheeks flushed a rosy red of embarrassment. Judging by the definitions his friends had given him in the past, Cain assumed this was love.

Increasingly jealous that even more of his friends were gaining the emotion he so long searched for, he still remained curious and happy for his fellow classmates. He would have to ask Aislinn about her feelings for Remus when they returned to the common room. Being the close friends they were, she surely would have no trouble telling him. Watching Aislinn and Remus, thinking about James and Lily, Cain was determined to fall in love before he left Hogwarts. Surely there was _someone_ he would feel unconditional affection for at the school.


	7. Chapter Six, Azazel

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER SIX  
AZAZEL

* * *

**

Azazel brushed her lengthy deep violet hair, matching dark purple eyes sparkling back at her in her reflection. Sitting on the bed next to hers, Alixxis applied her eyeliner and mascara, pinning the front strands of her hair behind her head with a fine intricate pin.

"So I hear Slughorn's planning a partner project. Regulus Black mentioned that we would be pairing up today," said Alixxis, standing from her bed to greet Azazel at her side.

"Is that so?" she inquired.

"Yes. And he's mixing Houses. So we're going to be paired with a Ravenclaw. Absolutely dreadful, don't you think?" Alixxis sneered. "Well, I suppose not for you, since your close pal is a Ravenclaw himself."

"True, Thai is one of my closest friends and he's in Ravenclaw, but he's very intelligent, especially when it comes to Potions. If what Black says is true and we are to be paired with a Ravenclaw, then I wish to be paired with Thai. Besides, you wouldn't fancy pairing up with Cain Roman?" A coy grin spread across her full lips as Alixxis rolled her dark green eyes.

"Just because Roman is otherworldly attractive doesn't mean I'm anxious to be paired with him," she snapped, folding her thin arms over her chest.

"But he's intelligent as well. Roman is very well the smartest boy in the entire school. Many would say he surpasses Dumbledore," Azazel added, which earned a scoff from her friend.

"The only man capable of surpassing Dumbledore is the Dark Lord, and you know it. Roman may be intelligent, but he's still a child and therefore not as experienced as Dumbledore or the Dark Lord," Alixxis spat. Azazel chuckled and rolled her eyes, placing her brush down and brushing her long hair behind her shoulders. She tightened her tie and tugged on her Slytherin robes.

"Shall we go?" she suggested. Alixxis nodded and the two trailed out of their dormitories. They were met with Severus Snape, Regulus Black (who was a year younger than the girls), and Linketh Kelgasus, who sat isolated in a tall-backed dark emerald armchair that was placed in front of a tall fire.

"Afternoon, boys," Alixxis greeted. Regulus grinned and Snape nodded. "Ready for Slughorn's new assignment?" Her gaze briefly averted to Regulus.

"Black's mentioned it to me," Snape informed. "Paired with Ravenclaws? Disgusting. I might just burn my robes from being so close to one."

"Lucky it's not Gryffindor," said Regulus. "My Potions class is shared with sixth year Gryffindors."

"At least you don't have know-it-all Roman in your class," sneered Snape. "The bloke makes my gut twist."

"You're merely jealous, Snape. Jealous that someone is better at Potions than you," snickered Azazel. He glared at her.

"Shut it, Zeela Yein. I know you've got friends from that House."

"Correction: _friend_. And I've known Thai since before we were Sorted."

"Besides, need we remind you of your little sweetheart, Evans? The Muggle-born?" Alixxis's eyes narrowed to slits as she grew the smile of a sly fox.

"Randelle!" he hissed with disdain.

"Anyway, instead of standing here wasting our time here, I'd like to get to class. I want to grab a snack on the way from the Great Hall. Perhaps they've still got some lunch out," said Alixxis. "Come, Azazel. You coming, Snape?" After a brief glare, Snape nodded reluctantly and followed. Alixxis's eyes peered over at Linketh's direction. "Oy, coming, Kelgasus? Or are you going to skip class _again_ to sulk in front of the fire?" She received no response from him. Alixxis rolled her eyes again, and she led both Snape and Azazel out of the common room.

Azazel took the empty seat next to Alixxis as they walked into their Potions class. It was buzzing with Ravenclaw and Slytherin students. Azazel spotted Thai and his mass of curly nutmeg locks towards the back of the room, where she was seated. Near the front of the classroom sat Cain Roman next to the quite bleach blonde girl he always sat with. She wondered who Cain would choose to be partners with. Which Slytherin would he choose? None of the male Slytherin students were fond of him, as they were jealous of both his knowledge and appearance, she knew. Every Slytherin girl would probably die of excitement should he choose one of them, but Azazel knew Cain wasn't into attention, even though he received it every waking moment of the day.

A few minutes later, Professor Slughorn waddled into the room, dressed in his usual velvet robes, combing one side of his white walrus mustache.

"Good afternoon, students," he chimed in a friendly voice. Few, mostly Ravenclaws, bid him good afternoon in return as he made his way to the front of the class.

"Today we will be starting a new project for the end of term," he started, and Alixxis nudged Azazel in the side. From his peripheral vision, Snape eyed the two of them as well. "This project will be done in partners, however I will choose your partner for you." A groan chorused through the room, but Professor Slughorn ignored it.

"Oh _God_! He'll be choosing our partners for us? How could Slughorn do this to us? He's_ our _Head of House!" whispered Alixxis. Azazel's eyebrows narrowed.

"Your partner will be from the opposite House of you. This will make you grow more familiar with your classmates. After all, I'm sure you know your own Housemates well enough.

"The project will be solely based on what you've learned, and how well you can repeat what you've learned. You are to choose a potion and create it. The potion should be done perfectly in order to pass this exam. As seventh years, you very well know your exams are much more difficult than your other years, as a result to life. Things will only get harder from here on out, young ones.

"Now, with that said"—he clapped his hands together and rubbed them—"I shall begin the pairing!" Another chorus of groaning hissed among the students. "Miss Aislinn Blair …" Azazel's gaze directly averted to Cain and the blonde girl. Afterward, she shifted to Thai, producing a small smile. The two of them were going to be paired for sure. They were of different Houses, and they worked well together. Azazel was confident she and Thai would be partners. In a way, she was actually looking forward to the project.

"Miss Blair, your partner will be … Mr. Linketh Kelgasus." Slughorn's wide smile turned to Linketh. Alixxis stifled a laugh. Azazel noticed Aislinn Blair's face contort with fear. To everyone else, Linketh was a creepy bloke who dreamed of nothing but death and horrors. He was twisted and wicked and cruel. Azazel was surprised that the tender little blonde didn't faint in her seat. Her eyes drifted towards Linketh, who was sitting in the corner at the end of her row. His head was bowed down, thick whitish-blonde curls falling over his mismatching eyes, and he glared at the table, his hands in his lap underneath the desk.

"Kelgasus and the fragile Ravenclaw girl?" questioned Alixxis softly to Azazel. She harrumphed. "I'll bet she's terrified in her knickers at the very thought of having to partner with him. You think she's afraid he'll skin her hide if they're alone?" Azazel narrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, a grin spreading across her lips.

"Oh Alixxis, you are awful. And you've got quite an imagination, don't you? You and Thai share such a trait," she mentioned. Alixxis sneered at the mention of being compared to Azazel's Ravenclaw friend.

"Please, Azazel. Do not compare to such a boy. You're friend is nothing like me, unfortunately for him," she said. Azazel rolled her eyes and ended the discussion. Slughorn continued to pair up students. He'd paired a few more students together, but she, Alixxis, Thai, and Cain hadn't been partnered up yet. Alixxis was getting restless.

"Oh come on already," she groaned. As if Slughorn had heard her, he called her name. She beamed.

"Miss Alixxis Randelle," he called. "I think I'll pair you up with … Mr. Thai Hetzen."

Alixxis almost choked on her saliva and Azazel's jaw dropped.

"Speak of the devil," she muttered.

"Bloody hell! You can't be serious?" exclaimed Alixxis, a little too loud for her liking. Thai glared her way.

"As if I'm any more happier about this, Randelle," he sneered at her. "Professor, I think this is a mistake. Randelle is completely egotistic and doesn't listen to anybody but herself."

"Oh, egotistic am I?" shouted Alixxis.

"I believe I'd be much better suited with Azazel Zeela Yein, professor. Surely you agree," continued Thai. Professor Slughorn shrugged his shoulders and scanned his parchment.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hetzen. I understand you work well with Miss Zeela Yein, but one of the purposes of this pairing is to develop a better understanding of each other. You don't necessarily have to be friends, but it's better to get to know other people outside of your House," explained Slughorn.

"Oh, believe me, professor, I've got a _perfect_ understanding of Hetzen," snarled Alixxis.

"As I of Miss Randelle," snarled Thai right back at her.

"Like I said, it is important to get to know others from your sibling Houses. You may find traits in which you share, same interests, et cetera." Azazel gave Alixxis a look, in which she returned with a scowl.

"I highly doubt it," she muttered.

"And besides," Slughorn continued, "Miss Zeela Yein is already partnered with someone." Azazel's eyebrows raised with interest.

"Who, professor?"

"Miss Azazel Zeela Yein, your Potions partner is … Mr. Cain Roman."


	8. Chapter Seven, Azazel & Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

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**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER SEVEN  
AZAZEL

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**

"_What?"_ blurted Thai. Azazel's face burned a deep crimson as her purple eyes widened. Her hair shifted to a bashful pink, which was a new color to everyone who knew her.

"Professor, this … this … this is a mistake!" Thai continued.

"I don't see how, Mr. Hetzen," admitted Slughorn, puzzled.

Azazel glared at Thai, her darkening, but still pink. "Thai, shut it!" she hissed. Thai glared back at her, but obeyed.

"Right … are we through, then, with all of this disagreement?" asked Professor Slughorn.

"Yes, professor. Go right on," Cain said politely with a smile. Azazel watched him fold his hands in front of him and noticed him turning his neck slightly her way, so as to gaze at her through his peripheral vision. Her hair brightened. Azazel quickly tore her eyes from him and fixed them on Slughorn as he continued to read off names.

"I can't believe it. I would have rather gotten Roman than your annoyingly excited friend," said Alixxis stubbornly. To be honest, Azazel couldn't believe it either. She was partnered with the smartest boy in the entire school. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in her own knowledge, but that of all of the Ravenclaws, Slughorn chose him to be her partner. She could feel the envious eyes of the Slytherin girls, and even those from Ravenclaw, burn her face, but she remained calm and cool, though her mind was anything but that.

After class, Azazel gathered her things and slung her book bag over her shoulder. As she was about to leave the classroom, she felt a hand grasp her shoulder.

"Azazel, you _must_ ask Slughorn to change partners. You can't be paired with Roman!" Thai exclaimed. Azazel narrowed her eyebrows. During class, her hair had shifted to an excited electric blue, and now it had gone matte black with annoyance.

"I don't see a reason why I must do that," she replied. Thai's face twisted with frustration.

"How could you not? You know just as well as I that there is something off about him. Why do you insist to get closer to him? What if what he is is dangerous? What if being alone with him harms you?"

"You think too much! Your imagination is wild. You've got nothing to worry about, Thai. Yes, I agree that something is strange about Roman, but I'm determined to figure it out in the most logical way: _getting to know him_. How could I get to know him if I keep myself away from him?" Azazel questioned. Thai narrowed his eyebrows. "I'm remaining partners with him. Besides, the two of us could create an immaculate potion that is sure to ace the final."

"The two of _us_ could do even better," Thai insisted.

"Perhaps not, as Cain Roman is smarter than the both of us put together."

"I really despise your fancying him," he mentioned.

"I _don't_ fancy Roman. Get that through that thick head of yours, will you? Honestly Thai, sometimes I worry about you worrying too much. Now, I've got to get to class. You might want to do the same," she advised. Azazel, running her thumb underneath the strap of her back and hoisting it up again over her shoulder, turned on her heel and walked out of the door.

* * *

**CAIN**

**

* * *

**

Cain pondered about his new Potions partner as he and Aislinn wandered toward their Arithmancy class, yet another subject he was flawless at. Cain was able to understand Professor Vector's incredibly difficult number charts and was also able to write the most perfect essays she'd ever read. Of course, she shared this with all of Cain's other teachers, since he was flawless in his other courses as well.

"I can't believe I've been paired with that Kelgasus boy. He looks so … so _menacing_," Aislinn whimpered, her eyebrows knitting together. Cain smiled.

"Oh Linn. I can't imagine anyone wanting to harm an adorable girl such as yourself. You've really got nothing to fret over, honestly," said Cain. As usual, Aislinn's fair cheeks blushed a furious red of embarrassment.

"Cain …" she whispered as she bowed her head, her long bleach blonde hair falling over her icy blue eyes.

"Besides," he continued, "if anyone _dared_ to harm a darling girl like you, _I'd_ show them a thing or two about treating a lady with respect." He grinned proudly, tilting his chin upwards in the air. Aislinn giggled and produced a small smile.

They had almost arrived to their classroom when a voice nastily called out to Cain.

"_Roman,"_ snarled Thai Hetzen from the shadows.

"Thai, what's the matter?" asked Aislinn innocently when they turned to face him. Cain noticed Thai's eyes glance at Aislinn, the hatred in them disappearing when they fell upon her face. After less than a second of glancing at her, Thai returned his glare to Cain.

"You're going to switch partners with me. You cannot be paired with Azazel," he said bluntly. Cain arched an eyebrow, folded his arms over his lean chest, and produced a smirk.

"Is that so? Why is that, Hetzen?" he inquired in an amused tone, which played to Thai's boiling anger. Thai glanced at Aislinn again and hesitated. Cain wondered if he were going to accuse him of being a monster … _again._ Every time Cain was confronted by Thai, he'd spout nonsense about Cain being something other than normal, but only when they were alone. Of course, Thai was right about Cain not being normal, at least a normal human, but that was because Cain wasn't human at all. However, he couldn't necessarily call himself a normal vampire either.

Although, Cain couldn't help but admit to himself that his heart beat faster than usual whenever Thai accused him of being something other than human. He normally called him a monster, which was almost right, but that was because he couldn't exactly place his finger on what exactly he was, so he remained quite vague. But Cain knew Thai was gathering evidence of him not being human, and to Cain, this considered Thai a threat. The last thing he needed was to be exposed. After all, Dumbledore strictly told him he had to keep his identity secret from the school, even the Hogwarts staff.

Thai didn't answer Cain, but continued to glare at him. "Just tell Slughorn you want to switch partners with me. Besides, I can't stand that annoying friend of Azazel."

"Why do you want to be partners with Azazel so greatly? Surely you aren't jealous of me, are you? Do you fancy Azazel that much?"

"I do not fancy her, and I am not jealous!" blurted Thai defensively. "But I do worry for her, as she is partners with someone like _you_."

"What could you possible be afraid of, Thai? Cain is an excellent partner. Honestly, what do you have against him?" Aislinn asked.

"You wouldn't understand, Aislinn. Let's just say Cain isn't who he claims he is," Thai said with slits for eyes. Cain's blood began to boil, but he kept a cool façade. Instead of playing to Thai's satisfaction and reacting angrily, he grinned knowingly.

"Oh yes, Linn. Didn't you know that I am a monster? A bloodthirsty, man-eating monster?" he teased with a nod. His grin was coy and Thai's breathing grew heavy as he was made fun of. Aislinn's eyes widened and she stifled a giggle.

"You, Cain? A monster? Oh Thai, you must not be serious, are you? Cain is the most gentle creature there is. He is so kind and smart and caring. Surely you know this, right? How could you ever think differently of him?" she asked him.

"I told you, you wouldn't understand," he snapped at her. She was taken aback by his tone and Cain's eyebrows narrowed.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't follow through with your request. You will remain with your partner, and I will remain with Azazel. Slughorn wanted it this way."

Thai's upper lip twitched with fury. With his hopes plundered, he violently pushed passed Cain, knocking shoulders with him, and stormed into the Arithmancy classroom. Aislinn watched him, puzzled. Cain's face was lit with amusement.

"Shall we, Aislinn?" he asked her, escorting her to the door.

"What on earth has got his wand in a knot? Have you done something to cause his fury? Surely you haven't, right? But what could cause all of this anger?" she asked, shaking her head in confusion as the two walked towards the door.

"You know Hetzen is quite the angry child, don't you? After all, we've been with him for seven years now. His attitudes should not be a surprise," Cain reasoned. Aislinn nodded in agreement.

"I suppose. I guess I never really saw him so angry before, at least not with my own eyes. I've heard stories, yes, but actually witnessing this is completely new. Do you think he is really infatuated with Azazel Zeela Yein?"

Cain chuckled. "I don't think so, but I could be wrong. For all we know, he could be infatuated with someone else." He looked at her for a moment and Aislinn widened her eyes.

"You can't be sure …?" she asked with worry, afraid Cain was referring to herself. A melodic chuckle escaped him again.

"Oh what do I know about love? I'm no expert, Linn," he said as they walked into class.


	9. Chapter Eight, Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

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**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER EIGHT  
LINKETH

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**

Linketh secluded himself in his dormitory, his wand in his hand prepared to slice his palm again, but he was hesitant before completing the action. His mind was focused on Slughorn's pairing. Linketh was the designated partner of Aislinn Blair, the incredibly shy blonde girl who always hung around Cain Roman. He didn't know how to feel about this. Strangely enough, Linketh was not disgusted, though he knew that he very well should have been. He despised everyone, whether he knew them or not; it was in his own nature.

He pointed the tip of his black wand to the scarred, pallid palm of his hand. The first few syllables of the curse that brought him pleasure fell off his tongue, but the rest was hard to muster. His eyebrows narrowed. For the first time, Linketh was having difficulty slicing his skin. The blood brought pleasure to him, so why couldn't he bring it out?

Images of that blonde girl flashed across his eyes and his heart began to beat erratically. There was an angelic persona about her, her figure dainty and formed marvelously. Her face was flawless and divine, large icy sapphires separated by an adorable dainty nose. Her lips were full and a healthy cherub pink. Long, light blonde hair framed her face and cascaded past her shoulders, fringes of hair sweeping across her forehead.

And then he saw that beautiful face twisted into fear as Professor Slughorn announced who her partner was to be, as he remembered. She was fearful of him. Her façade gave off a violent sensation, but it was how he wanted it, until now. Seeing her react the way she did when she heard his name made his heart wrench, as if a blade were slowly sticking into it.

But why? Why would he feel so miserable from her horrified reaction? Linketh cared for no one, especially fragile girls. The very thought of carrying any affection for anyone sickened him.

"I know nothing of the feeling of love and affection," he snarled out loud to himself. "Aislinn Blair is a Mudblood. She holds no inspiration for me."

Immediately, he regretted the words and they burned his tongue. His mixed emotions were driving him even more mad than he already was.

"Damn it all! I feel nothing for that girl!" he shouted and pressed the tip of his wand back in the palm of his hand. _"Sectumsempra!"_

Linketh watched as new red lines slowly etched across his hand, providing blissful pain to the deranged boy. A wicked smile crawled across his thin lips and he sighed, leaning against the backboard of his four-poster bed.

"No feelings … whatsoever …."

His eyelids fell over his mismatched eyes and was swallowed in a slumber.

* * *

The tall, lanky, pale boy dragged himself to his Potions class the next day, draped in robes that were far too large for him. His unruly curls bounced in his step, his pale green and blue eyes fixed on the stone floor. With each step he took, an echoing _thud_ sounded, as Linketh refused to wear the loafers that were part of the uniform. Instead, he sported heavy combat boots with buckles that _clinked_ when he walked.

When Linketh walked into Professor Slughorn's classroom, he realized that nobody was sitting in their usual chairs. Instead, both Houses were mingled together, sitting with the pairs they were assigned the day before.

"Mr. Kelgasus. How nice of you to join us, my boy," chimed the professor. "If you will, please find Miss Blair and take the seat next to her. As I have already announced to the class, you will begin organizing the potion you wish to brew for your final for the end of term."

Linketh's trademark glare was plastered on his face as he stared at Slughorn. He didn't want to sit with his partner. He wanted to sit in his claimed dark corner in the very back of the room. He clenched the hand which he'd scarred the night before into a fist and scanned the room for Aislinn Blair. It wasn't hard to find her. She was sitting near the front of the room, much to his disdain, facing forehead and not daring to look at him.

_Very well. That's how it _should_ be. She _should_ be afraid, _he thought bitterly as he trudged towards her. On her right side sat one of her fellow Ravenclaws, a thin boy with nutmeg curls that were almost as unruly as his own. To the boy's side was Alixxis, smirking as she watched him with her arms crossed over her finely developed chest.

He approached Aislinn and sat next to her, claiming the aisle seat with reluctance. He slouched into the chair, dropping his bag noisily on the floor, and sensed Aislinn tense next to him. He scoffed and fixed his gaze on the desk.

He had tuned out Slughorn's instructions of the project, which he discussed for a good twenty minutes. When he had given the students the floor to do as they pleased, his mind refocused on reality. The first thing he noticed was the hastiness of Aislinn escaping her chair to fetch resource books and supplies. The Ravenclaw boy had left with her, leaving Alixxis alone with him.

"The girl's scared of you, Kelgasus. Bet you fancy that, don't you?" she said snidely. Linketh's eyes continued to stare at the desk, but he answered her.

"I feed off of fear. Don't you know, Randelle? I long to repel everyone away from me." Alixxis scoffed.

"Yeah, don't I know it."

The Ravenclaw boy returned to his chair carrying only enough reference books for himself. Alixxis gave him a look.

"And might I ask where my books are?" she asked selfishly. The boy glared.

"You honestly expected me to gather books for you too?" He laughed a humorless laugh. "Get your own books, Randelle. I'm no House Elf." Alixxis snarled at him and stood from the table, stomping over to Professor Slughorn's small library. The boy bent over a large textbook and began flipping through pages. Linketh noticed his grey-blue eyes glance at him briefly before returning to the page.

"You are Aislinn's partner," the boy stated.

"Obviously," retorted Linketh monotonously. The boy glared and rolled his eyes.

"Well it's no wonder she was shaking in her seat. I bet you frighten small children on a daily basis," sneered the Ravenclaw.

"If I wasn't stuck here, then I would," Linketh answered.

Aislinn returned to her chair between Linketh and Thai, carrying a stack of books that appeared twice her weight. She set them down on the table with a loud _thud_.

"Um, so I, um, got some books that we could, erm, look through. To get ideas, I mean …" she stammered, keeping her eyes on the stack of books and refusing to meet Linketh's gaze.

"Aislinn, you should have let me helped you with this. You could have seriously injured yourself carrying these," said the boy with worry. Linketh arched an eyebrow. Aislinn smiled, which made his gut wrench in agony.

"Oh Thai. That's awfully sweet of you," she said. The Ravenclaw boy beamed. "But I managed."

Alixxis stormed back to their desk, glaring at Thai and carrying very few books. "Brilliant, Hetzen. Just bloody brilliant. I bet you gathered the _best_ potions books for yourself, didn't you? Since we're doing this project together, you _are_ sharing them with me."

Thai rolled his eyes and scoffed, returning his gaze back to his book. Linketh caught Alixxis's gaze as she slipped passed him to get to her seat. She eyed both him and his partner and smirked again. As usual, Linketh glared.

Aislinn had opened up a textbook when his gaze returned to her. Her large blue eyes scanned the pages carefully, a dainty finger tracing the words. She looked up at him very briefly before quickly returning her gaze to her book.

For the rest of the class, the two of them remained quiet while reading their textbooks. The rest of the class were buzzing with chatter, and Thai and Alixxis were bantering about something Linketh had no interest in finding out about. When class ended, Aislinn gathered the books, but it was Linketh who stood and took them in his arms. She peered up at him curiously. Linketh said nothing but left to return them to the library. Even he questioned himself about this act of generosity. Since when was Linketh generous? When he returned to their table, he slipped his book bag over his shoulder, Aislinn rising to her feet.

"So, Linketh," she said softly. The sound of his name in her voice made almost every organ in his body stop functioning. The very idea frightened him. "Perhaps we should meet in the library during lunch to continue our research. We could get a head start on our final project," she suggested. The sound of Alixxis's snicker made the both of them turn their heads.

"You sure you want to be in the library _alone_ with Kelgasus? He's not much of a people person," she mentioned. Aislinn widened her eyes innocently.

"It's alright. _I'll_ join her. She won't be _alone_," he snapped at Alixxis. She stifled a giggle. Linketh glared at the both of them before fixing his gaze on Thai.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recall Slughorn including you into our pairing," he snarled at him. Thai was taken aback, grey-blue eyes wide.

"Oh. I sense some possessive vibes," chimed Alixxis, prancing around them to get into the aisle of desks.

"_Randelle,"_ hissed Thai through clenched teeth.

"Library. During lunch. Be there. _Alone_," Linketh demanded, snarling that last bit at Thai. His eyes returned to Aislinn's angelic face, innocence written all over it. She bit her bottom lip and nodded in agreement. With one last glare at Thai, Linketh turned on the rubber heel of his combat boot and stormed out of the classroom, his large robes billowing behind him.


	10. Chapter Nine, Aislinn

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER NINE  
AISLINN

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**

Even though Aislinn had suggested the extra studying in the library during lunch, she was still nervous. After all, her partner was a mysterious and disturbing boy. After all of the rumors she'd heard from the Marauders in the Three Broomsticks, her comfort level with him decreased. But she wanted to get a good grade on her exam. She had to pass with an Outstanding if she wanted to apply for a position in the Ministry of Magic, she had to receive at least Exceeds Expectations in all of her classes. But, of course, Aislinn thought it wiser to exceed past that limit. If she received straight O's on her scores, she'd have no problem achieving a high position in the ministry.

During lunch, Aislinn made a quick stop at the Great Hall to grab a bite to eat, perhaps just a croissant sandwich to fill her stomach so she wouldn't skip a meal. She also didn't want to keep Linketh waiting. What if he had a short temper and was very impatient? The last thing she wanted was him angry at her for a misunderstanding. As she contemplated this, she hadn't realized that Remus Lupin was walking her way, and not paying attention where he was going either. The two collided and fell to the ground.

"Oh my goodness. I'm dreadfully sorry! Why—oh, Remus. Oh goodness, how clumsy of me. This is incredibly embarrassing," Aislinn rambled, shaking her blonde hair and clutching her half-eaten sandwich. Remus smiled and shook his head.

"Oh Aislinn. I take full responsibility. Please don't trouble yourself with apologizing," he said.

"Remus," she sighed.

"Where are you headed, might I ask? Perhaps I can escort you there," he offered. Aislinn smiled shyly.

"I suppose I couldn't expect anything less from a former Prefect," she said. He grinned.

"Most certainly not."

"Well, to answer your question, I was headed towards the library to meet with my Potions partner. I would most appreciate it if you could escort me."

"My pleasure." The two continued their way towards the library, Remus stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks, shaking loose brown hairs out of his face, and Aislinn tightly holding a couple of books to her chest, her croissant in one hand. "And who might this lucky partner be? He'll be sure to get an easy O on the assignment with a partner like you." Aislinn blushed.

"My partner is—you'll be quite surprised—is Linketh Kelgasus." Remus choked on his saliva.

"I beg your pardon? _Kelgasus?_" Aislinn nodded. "And how's that turning out for you?"

"Well, I won't say I wouldn't have preferred a different partner, because I most certainly would have, but I'm making do. He's very quiet. Hardly ever talks. He doesn't seem to get along with anybody," she mentioned.

"Can't say that's surprising," admitted Remus. "After what we discussed in the Three Broomsticks that day … you haven't heard him speaking Parseltongue, have you?"

"I don't see why he would speak Parseltongue in a full classroom, let alone without any snakes nearby," mentioned Aislinn. Remus nodded.

"Right. Sorry. How foolish of me to assume so."

"It's alright," she said with a smile. They were quiet for a while longer until Aislinn broke the silence.

"Well, Remus, Hogsmeade is open to us this weekend, and the weather is supposed to be much nicer than last week. Would you fancy a trip together?" she asked shyly. Remus beamed, but it quickly vanished as he realized something unknown to Aislinn.

"Oh Linn, you've got no idea how much I'd love to, but I'm afraid I've … well, got something … _planned_ that weekend. Perhaps next weekend we could," he suggested. Aislinn's face fell and she felt embarrassed by the rejection. It was so unlike her to suggest a trip as she just did, and she regretted doing it.

"Right. It's perfectly fine. Yes, next weekend sounds marvelous," she said quickly. "Oh, here's my stop. Thank you for walking with me, and I'm sorry for running into you." Before Remus could even reply to her, she hurried into the library, anxious to escape from him.

Aislinn struggled to fight back the tears that were pooling at the edges of her eyes. She knew Remus didn't mean any harm by his decline, but she couldn't help but feel heartbroken. After all, she felt so warm and ecstatic around him. She'd never fallen in love before she met Remus Lupin.

She made sure she looked decent before she approached Linketh sitting at a table near the back of the library. She found him in between the potions textbooks, which was very appropriate for what they were there for.

Linketh was sitting with a thick dusty textbook in front of him, absentmindedly burning circles with his wand into the table. When she approached him, he looked up from the book and quit burning circles.

"What are you reading?" she asked. Linketh narrowed his eyes.

"You were about to cry. What happened?" he asked, shifting the subject. Aislinn was taken aback.

"What? I wasn't—"

"Don't lie to me, Blair. Your eyes are near bloodshot," Linketh snapped.

"But—"

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to help me choose a potion to create. After all, this meeting was your idea," he retorted. Aislinn's eyebrows narrowed and knitted together. She slowly walked towards the table and pulled a chair out for herself.

"You never did answer my question. What is it that you're reading?"

"While you were taking your time, I thought it wise to search for potion possibilities. Perhaps we should look up the Draught of Living Death. Difficult and powerful, and, when done correctly, will earn us an O," Linketh said. Aislinn slid off her book bag and folded her hands together.

"Oh. Well, I was thinking we should do something that is less dangerous, to prevent disasters. Why don't we brew an Amortentia potion?"

"A _love_ potion?" asked Linketh with disgust. Aislinn frowned.

"What's wrong with a love potion? I think they're quite romantic and fun," she said. Linketh's eyes narrowed and sighed heavily. Aislinn noticed the frustration etching across his pallid face.

"If you really want to brew the Drought of Living Death potion, then we can," said Aislinn timidly.

"No," Linketh disagreed immediately. "We'll do the Amortentia. We'll just have to make it especially perfect, in case others choose it. It can be difficult, depending on how strong it is, so we'll just make it exceptionally strong."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's what you want." Aislinn could barely hear this part of his comment, as if he hadn't wanted her to hear it, but she caught it anyway. Hearing this truly surprised her. He was choosing this potion because _Aislinn_ wanted it? Could she be sensing something stirring inside him that others couldn't identify? Aislinn grew warm inside and she softly smiled, reaching for a potions book and gently opening it.

"We could still search for another potion that the both of us want to do. After all, this is a group project, not individual."

Linketh grunted a reply and Aislinn's soft smile slowly grew. Perhaps aside from the morbid and macabre façade lay a soft and gentle side to Linketh Kelgasus. This, she knew, would be impossible for anyone to believe, even his Housemates. How well did they know him? Even though Aislinn had believed many of the things the Marauders had told her about Linketh Kelgasus while at the Three Broomsticks, she was beginning to believe that there was also a soft heart in everyone, even someone like him. Instead of reading her book, she watched him concentrate hard on his own reading material, his pale mismatching eyes scanning the page, eyebrows narrowed and whitish-blonde curls falling over his visage. Despite his odd appearance, there was a nice, peaceful look about him in this concentrated state he was in. It was long until Linketh looked up and curiously gazed at her that she figured out she was staring at him, and she tore from his gaze immediately, looking back down at her book with red cheeks.

"Found anything?" he asked, noticing her book only turned to the title page. Aislinn, embarrassed, hastily turned many pages to reach the first one that began discussing potions and their ingredients. She began to stammer for an excuse as to why she wasn't reading.

"Never mind," he grumbled and averted his gaze back to his book. "I think we should just stick with the Amortentia potion anyway." He shrugged and sighed, absentmindedly turning pages now. Aislinn nodded and flipped through many thin pages, just to appear busy, but really she couldn't help but let her mind wander about the miniscule affection Linketh seemingly possessed, or if he possessed any at all. Why was he the way he was? Perhaps Slughorn had been right about him choosing their partners. Aislinn was now, surprisingly, excited to learn more about the mysterious nature of Linketh Kelgasus.


	11. Chapter Ten, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TEN  
CAIN

* * *

**

The forest was black with darkness as the trees completely clouded the moon's bright light. Luckily for Cain, however, he had excellent vision and seeing through the dark was no more difficult than seeing through the light.

Cain had made sure his dorm mates were deep in slumber before dressing in some old jeans and slinking out of the room. The castle halls were normally isolated, mind the occasional teacher hall-monitoring to make sure no students were out of bed, so it was fairly easy to get outside.

He never left the castle if the sky was bright with sun, but most of the time it tended to be cloudy and gloomy. Still, Cain didn't take the risk of taking Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, the outdoor courses. Being outside during the night, however, Cain felt such freedom and peace. He didn't have to worry about being watched or about keeping his identity hidden. While everyone was sleeping, he could be who he really was.

His bare feet slapped the tops of the snow as he skimmed over it in a run. With his agility, he didn't sink into the deep snow like a human would. The cold air nipped his bare chest, a feeling he much desired, and stroked through his black hair as it flew in wild layers, appearing shaggy and untamed, unlike how it normally appeared.

He ran straight for the Forbidden Forest, his stomach growling softly for blood. He peered up at the sky before heading into the mass of trees. He wouldn't be the only one out of his bed tonight. The full moon shed of a white aura around its complete orb. Perhaps after a night in the forest he would take a trip down the Shrieking Shack to say hello to Remus Lupin.

The familiar scent of pines and blood of animals filled Cain's nostrils. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, running his fingers through his messy black hair and tilting his head back. A grin crawled across his fine lips. He was allowing himself to be overcome by the rusty scent he desired. He felt his canines extending into fangs, involuntarily running his tongue over them. When he opened his eyes, they were no longer that lovely chestnut color, but instead an inky black that revealed his other form, his _true_ form.

He crouched down on all fours and pounced on a branch of a tall tree. He jumped from branch to branch, hunting for creatures from up above. Cain thirsted for unicorn blood, his favorite animal to drink from. The silvery-blue liquid felt thick and smooth against his lips. It was a pleasure he enjoyed so much, he would bathe in unicorn blood if he could.

Cain's throat tightened as the mere thought of the unicorn blood splashing down his esophagus and quickened his pace through the trees. Unicorns only resided deep inside the Forbidden Forest. Lucky for him, they didn't really put up much of a fight, but sometimes it was fun to wrestle with the animals he fed on. He could remember while living with the vampires in the forest they loved wrestling with animals they fed on. Cain was never as rowdy as the older vampires, but it was always fun to watch them, and he'd occasionally join in on the fight.

A flash of white crossed the floor of the forest and Cain immediately froze, his lips turning upward into a twisted smile. The smell of his favorite animal was strong. He slipped down from the tree, landing on all fours and crouching so low that his chest scraped the floor. He crawled like a scorpion, stalking the unicorn like a predator. The unicorn pranced towards a small pond for a drink of water, its back towards Cain. He crept closer, narrowing his black eyes with determination, his twisted smiling curling even wider.

The unicorn caught the presence of the vampire and lifted its head, its ears pointed straight up. It turned its head and noticed the hungry vampire. Cain pounced, but the unicorn was quick and sped away. Cain snarled, but was eager for the run. He chased after the mystical one-horned horse, his steps silent compared to the heavy hooves of his prey.

Cain knew the unicorn stood no chance, but he enjoyed its attempt to outrun him. Cain quickly became close enough to grasp hold of the unicorns silver tail and dragged it down. The unicorn whinnied in agony as the vampire's long claws dug into its quarters, scraping its pure white body with long jagged lines of torn flesh. The silvery-blue blood poured quickly from the injuries and poured over Cain's fingers. The unicorn was brought to its knees and fell on its side in defeat. Cain unstuck his claws torn flesh. The silvery-blue blood poured quickly from the injuries and poured over Cain's fingers. The unicorn was brought to its knees and fell on its side in defeat. Cain unstuck his claws from the unicorn and licked the blood that had smeared his fingers. The unicorn's breathing fell weak. Cain glanced at the pained face of the unicorn and, without a change of expression, tore a hole into its throat, more blood spilling out like a rushing river. The unicorn died immediately and Cain pressed his lips to the hole in its throat, drinking the unicorn's blood with the utmost desire and satisfaction. He drank the unicorn dry in a matter of minutes.

The unicorn blood did not saturate his thirst, but he knew Dumbledore would be highly disappointed if Cain robbed the Forbidden Forest of its mystical one-horned horses, so he chased after other smaller animals, ones that wouldn't make much of a difference if their species ran low. He fed for another two hours before he wandered to a pond to wash his face and hands. He watched in his reflection his black eyes returning to his natural chestnut brown and his fangs retract. His claws shortened into normal-length nails.

He sat at the edge of the water sighing with content. He was finally satisfied with his feeding. Just like every night, he felt as if he hadn't fed in months rather than twenty-four hours.

He stood and wandered further into the forest. His clan was sure to be out hunting now. When he approached their territory, an area surrounding a deep cave where they stayed during the day, his fellow vampires filed out of the cave, each with eyes flickering a dangerous black, fangs extended, and claws long and sharp. The elders led the pack towards him as Cain approached them casually, hands stuffed into his pockets. They wore black or brown trousers and no shirts. The elders sported furry cloaks. Every single vampire had long hair of black or brown, very few were naturally blonde.

"Cain," rasped one elder. Cain half-smiled.

"Out for a hunt, or just bidding me hello, Severino?" he asked with a smirk.

"We recognized your scent, Cain. We come to greet you, of course. We are your clan," Severino said with a smile. Cain recognized the thin white scar that vertically crossed the left side of his face. Severino was the oldest elder and was the one that led the pack. He was also the only vampire with white hair. Cain remembered learning that Severino was well over one thousand years old, and he was surprised that he could hunt and walk so well, as if he were only thirty years old.

"You still carry the scent of humans," said a second elder, Dane. Dane was the second oldest elder, surviving at eight hundred years of age. His ears were pierced with dragon fangs, cleansed of their venom, and his hair was brown and stringy. His figure was much like a weightlifter's, brawny and firm, and he looked even bigger than he was with his fur cloak on.

"Do you forget that I still attend Hogwarts?" questioned Cain. He had to remember that it had been well over a month since he'd last visited his clan.

"That's right. And you've kept your secret safe?" Severino asked. Cain nodded.

"Of course."

The elders welcomed him back to his old home and he was greeted by his fellow vampires. However, his welcome party was cut short when every single one of them caught the scent of a snooping creature, and Cain couldn't help the familiarity of it.

The vampires turned their heads towards where Cain had entered, and they found that a large black canine was stalking the trees.

"It looks like a wolf, but it smells of human," said one of the vampires.

"It stinks of wolf as well, no doubt. There is some canine scent in that stench," said another.

"We shall hunt it, then," declared Severino. This made Cain's eyes widened.

"No!" he protested, and every pair of eyes landed on him in puzzlement. "That is a student whom attends my school."

"A student?" questioned Dane.

"She is Alixxis Randelle. I know her figure. She is a lycan," he explained.

"This is not the first time we have smelled her scent before. She comes frequently to spy on us," informed a third elder, Mikhail, a vampire of long golden hair and athletic figure. He bore unusual markings across his chest, tattoos of black ink. No one other than the elders knew where Mikhail had gotten these markings. "She knows of your identity?" He said this in an angry tone, causing the others to hiss.

"Like I've told you before, no one other than Dumbledore knows of my vampirism. You must trust me. Randelle is merely curious of our race. Since she is a lycan, she has certain protection that allows her to come into the forest. She means no harm."

"We've always found it revolting that you stick up for these humans," Severino said bluntly. "Those which are your true prey. Instead, you insist to feed on animals."

"You feed on animals as well," Cain reminded.

"Though not solely."

"You must understand that I do this for experimentation. I have proven that vampires are capable of wielding magic," said Cain.

"We've known this fact. It was Sanguini that proved this for us," said Severino.

"Yet you make no faults about him, and he lingers about the humans just as much as I do."

"Even so, that does not change our attitude about your schooling."

Cain sighed heavily. "Your attitude does not affect me. Just promise me that you will leave Randelle alone. Promise me you will not hunt the lycan."

The three main elders discussed Cain's request over quietly before agreeing.

"You have kept your word by keeping your secret. The lycan is off limits," agreed Severino.

* * *

The underground tunnel was dark and for a human, it would have been near impossible to see an inch in front of their nose, but for Cain and his magnificent eyes, it was simple. He felt the soft earth press against his bare feet with each step as he walked through the tunnel. The earth was suddenly morphed to wood and his earthly surroundings were transformed to the likings of an old shack. Cain could hear snarls through the walls of the shack and he knew he was drawing close.

This was the shack that Dumbledore kept Remus Lupin during those nights of the full moon, away from the school so he could not harm the children. Cain had seen Remus Lupin before in his immature werewolf state, a state where, like Cain, he could not control until it passed, but Remus never remembered because he lost all human awareness when transformed.

Cain pushed open a broken door and was face to face with a writhing Remus, who struggled to stay calm on the old four-poster bed in the room. He noticed Cain and his breathing grew heavy.

"Cain," he rasped, pale and sweating.

"You've taken your potion, haven't you, friend?" Cain asked him in a concerned tone.

"Yes," replied Remus with a nod, "but the will of the wolf always tends to want to break free. What are you doing here, Cain? I can harm you, you know. You should leave."

Cain smirked and grew nearer to the struggling werewolf. "You know fully well what I am," he said, remembering that he had lied to the elders about anyone other than Dumbledore knowing Cain's secret. "You are vulnerable and I could very well harm _you_." He chuckled.

"Why don't you tell people what you are?" Remus inquired, breathing heavily.

"For the same reason you don't."

"But vampires are more common amongst wizards. They can control themselves and are less fearful than a developed werewolf," said Remus. Cain barked out a sharp laugh.

"Vampires less fearful? Oh Remus, the potion's gone to your head. You do realize that there is no potion to sustain a vampire's power, like the Wolfsbane, don't you? I could lash out any minute of the day, whereas you have to wait for the full moon. I keep my identity secret because if anyone were to find out, well, let's just say I wouldn't be attending Hogwarts any longer."

Remus nodded. "Same here." He briefly looked down at the bed before returning his gaze to Cain's dark eyes. "So why are you so nonchalant about me knowing?"

"Because I know your secret."

"And you've kept it, haven't you?" asked Remus softly.

"Indeed." Remus sighed heavily.

"I was supposed to go out to Hogsmeade with Aislinn today, but I had to prepare for the full moon, so I rejected her. It was so hard for me to see her fallen face. You will keep this from her, won't you? My lycanthropy, I mean."

"I have for the last six years, haven't I?" Cain smiled. "You've kept my secret from your special trio, haven't you?"

"Yes," Remus said with a smile.

"Excellent. I suppose it's easier to make friends with people who have dark secrets such as mine. Others wouldn't understand," Cain sighed.

"I agree. It's hard keeping something like this from Aislinn. How I wish I could tell her. I fear for her fear for me."

"But Aislinn does love you, doesn't she?" inquired Cain. Remus's eyes widened as he blushed.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't say—well I'm not quite sure … I …"

"I think she does. She looks at you with certain affection. How does it feel, to be in love?" he asked.

"You mean to tell me you've never been in love before? Even with all of the girls that chase after you?"

"I'm afraid not," Cain said wistfully. "It is not supposed to be in my nature, so I've been told."

"You will fall in love, Cain. There's a girl for every bloke, I believe, human or not. Don't worry about it, mate," Remus comforted.

"How will I know if I'm in love?"

"You'll know, mate. You'll know."


	12. Chapter Eleven, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER ELEVEN  
CAIN

* * *

**

Cain took his seat next to Azazel in Potions. She already had their books and cauldron set up for them. Cain was highly impressed. Azazel seemed to surprise him every day with her vast knowledge. He even found her Metamorphmagus ability quite amusing.

"Good afternoon, Azazel," he greeted as he swiftly sat in his chair. The girls around Azazel swooned at his presence. Azazel rolled her eyes at them and turned her attention back to the books.

"Hello, Roman," she replied, monotonously. Cain smirked at her attitude.

"Oh, Azazel. Is something the matter? I thought we were already on a first name basis," he said.

"It's nothing. I'm fine. The swooners are what are bothering me," she admitted.

"Swooners?" Cain inquired. Azazel arched an eyebrow and motioned to the girls around them, who were struggling to keep their gazes focused on their projects rather than Cain himself.

"Don't even begin to tell me you don't notice them. They're so bloody annoying. I'm ready to hex them for you," she said, glaring at the girls in front of them.

"Pay no mind to them. We're here to work on our potion. Have you got the cauldron lit at the right temperature?" Cain inquired.

"Of course. Would you doubt me?" she challenged. Cain grinned at her. A couple of girls around them gasped and continued to swoon, and Cain watched as Azazel rolled her eyes with annoyance at them.

"Not at all. You're quite clever," he mentioned. Azazel arched an eyebrow, surprised by his comment and scoffed, looking back down at their textbook.

"Anyway, the Wolfsbane potion is going to take a while to brew, especially because it's so new and we'll have to do some extra studying. I don't want to have to resort to teacher's aid; this should solely be a student project," said Azazel.

"And so it shall. We won't need teacher's aid, I assure you. In case you hadn't noticed, potions are quite my area of expertise."

Azazel scoffed. "Tell me what _isn't_," she muttered. Cain scowled playfully and soon replaced it with a smile.

Not too much longer did Thai Hetzen come along, passing their table to reach the small library.

"Azazel," he said kindly, nodding his head. Cain watched as Azazel smiled back at him, her hair shifting the deep maroon color, her eyes a soft green.

"Hey, Thai," she said in return. Thai completely ignored Cain's existence as he passed. Cain narrowed his eyebrows at him in concentration.

"Thai's never liked me much, has he? And yet we are Housemates. But you, you are in a different House and he is so kind to you. What is Thai's story?" inquired Cain.

"Thai and I have known each other before Hogwarts," Azazel explained as she stirred the water in the cauldron. "We lived in the same neighborhood for a year. Thai had just moved from Bulgaria; his brother goes to school there."

"So why doesn't Thai?"

"He got his acceptance letter to Hogwarts instead. I'm not quite sure why they moved to London, since his parents were graduates from Durmstrang as well," she explained.

"And your parents? Did they attend Hogwarts as well?" inquired Cain. She shook her head.

"No … Both my parents are Squibs. Quite embarrassing really, and I'm just dreading the day I lose my ability to wield magic," she said. "Ah. I probably shouldn't have mentioned that at all. Just drop it, okay?" she snapped. "What can we brew at the moment?"

Cain watched curiously Azazel's emotions shift from one to another and thought enviously how she was lucky. He could read the sadness and worry that filtered her now dark blue eyes as she reminisced her parents' heritage.

He averted his gaze to one of the newer textbooks Azazel had retrieved and scanned the ingredients for the potion.

"We'll need the aconite plant," began Cain. Azazel stood quickly and rummaged through Slughorn's chest of supplies he had displayed for the students' use. While she was away, Thai had passed in front of Cain's desk again, a couple of thin hardback books underneath his arm. His grey-blue eyes were narrowed to slits as he stared at him.

"Working well with your partner?" asked Cain politely. Thai rolled his eyes. "I'm working quite well with mine. Thanks for asking," he added sarcastically.

"You better watch your back, Roman," Thai hissed. "I am no fool. You're hiding something and I'm going to reveal it. Each day I'm getting closer to figuring out what you are. Be afraid."

Cain stared at Thai blankly before releasing a hearty laughter. The swooning girls were completely distracted now, but they were too in a daze to fully comprehend the conversation between the two Ravenclaw boys. Thai sneered.

"It's taken you seven years to figure out what I am?" Cain asked smugly, leaning in on his folded arms, which were nested on the table. "What a pitiful detective. You're not very clever, then, are you?"

"Hetzen! Will you bloody well hurry up? The cauldron can't wait forever, you ditz," shouted Alixxis. Thai groaned and shot another death stare at Cain.

"You do _anything_ to Azazel and I will cut your throat, git."

"Are you finally letting me be partners with her in peace?" teased Cain.

"Not even an _inkling_," snarled Thai and he stormed off in annoyance as his Potions partner continued to shout out to him. Azazel had returned with a wrapping in her hand, her expression curious.

"What was that about?" she asked suspiciously as her eyes drifted from Cain to Thai. Cain followed her gaze and noticed Thai's glare still lingering on him. He merely smirked and cocked his head, turning back to Azazel.

"What was what about?" he inquired in return. Azazel arched an eyebrow.

"Never mind. I probably don't even want to know. You are awfully strange, Roman," she mentioned. Cain chuckled and took the wrappings from her, unraveling the plant.

"Careful now. Be sure not to touch the plant without any protection," warned Cain. "It's poisonous." Azazel scoffed.

"I'm not am imbecile. I _know_ that," she snapped and reached for her shoulder bag to retrieve her dragon-hide gloves.

"Of course you're not an imbecile," said Cain gently. "You're rather quite clever." He noticed Azazel's hair shift back to the pink he'd seen when Professor Slughorn had announced that the two of them would be partners. He didn't have to see her face to know that she was blushing.

"Can we continue this?" she snapped in a soft tone and rolled her eyes. Cain smiled.

"But of course."

* * *

A week had passed and Azazel and Cain's potion was coming along quite well. Of course, everyone knew this would happen. With Cain being the smartest student in the entire school, and Azazel being quite clever herself, they were bound to get a perfect score on their final. Many envied them for being so smart and handy with potions.

Their attitude towards each other hadn't changed so much. Azazel still scolded Cain for making compliments about her, as she found it embarrassing that her hair color gave off her emotion. Cain did well to remember not to so blatantly compliment her, but he couldn't help to not do it period. Every once in a while he'd comment on how well she was doing with her part of the potion making.

Cain found Azazel quite an interesting human. Aside from being a Metamorphmagus and extremely smart, he realized that she had quite an odd personality, but he very much liked it. There was a very exciting persona about her, yet also very independent. He never saw her walking with a large crowd of people, like he saw other Slytherin girls doing, but rather one or two, mainly Alixxis Randelle or Severus Snape. However, a lot of the time Cain would see Azazel with Thai, and it proved to him how strong their relationship was. He often questioned whether the two were in love with each other or not.

One day, the two decided to put in extra time on their project and met in Professor Slughorn's class during a free period. Slughorn had made it well known that his room would be open for any extra time his students wanted, and even though Azazel and Cain were working finely on their project, they decided to take advantage of the free time.

Cain had arrived first to the Potions room and set his bag down on his desk. The classroom was empty, and he figured that Professor Slughorn was probably in his office in the back of the room, a completely different room connecting to his classroom. Without disturbing him, Cain fetched their cauldron and gathered their supplies, checking out the textbooks they had been using and flipping to their desired pages. Azazel had walked in soon after.

"Hello," Cain greeted with a smile. Azazel returned it with a half-smile.

"You've already got everything set up. How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Not long," replied Cain truthfully. "Quite frankly, I've just arrived myself, not having been here for five minutes, even."

Azazel moved to her chair and placed her shoulder bag on the empty desk next to hers. Cain began lighting up the cauldron and picked up a ladle to stir their brew with.

"Have you had good first classes?" he asked, creating conversation. Cain longed to learn more knowledge, and he also longed to learn more about Azazel. He had many friends, but this particular friend he truly wanted to get to know. He wasn't sure what it was about her that really captivated him. All he knew was that he wanted learn everything about her.

Azazel shrugged and peered into their cauldron. "I suppose …" she answered, but it sounded almost like a question. "Did you?"

"Absolutely. I saw that I'm passing my classes with flying colors. It really is such a nice surprise," he said. Azazel gave him a strange look.

"You're just now realizing that you're passing with flying colors? This is a _surprise_? Roman, I don't mean to be rude but, you've been getting outstanding marks since first year. Are you thick? Honestly, you don't have to be modest; everyone knows you're a fantastic wizard," she scoffed. Cain raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think I'm a fantastic wizard?" Azazel rolled her eyes.

"I'd be a fool not to think so," she admitted. "Now if you stopped bathing in your accomplishments we could continue working on this project." Cain smiled again and nodded.

"You're a fantastic witch as well, Azazel," said Cain.

"Thanks for mentioning … _again_," she said with an eye roll.

"And I don't believe that you'll lose your powers. You're much too excellent a witch to become a Squib," Cain added, and he could see the annoyance that had glinted her eyes from him complimenting her vanish. Instead, they were widened with surprise and he could see the faintest glimpse of a smile forming on her full lips as the shade of her hair returned to a bashful pink.


	13. Chapter Twelve, Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWELVE  
LINKETH

* * *

**

Linketh isolated himself in the empty Slytherin common room, darkness draping his pale thin figure as he slouched in a black leather armchair, his spindly fingers groping the arms of the chair. He crossed his ankle over his knee and stared into the fire, which dully lit his black-drenched figure. His legs were covered in baggy black slacks and his flat chest draped with a black long-sleeved shirt and a baggy black jacket, his hood covering his bouncy white-blonde curls and shadowing his mismatching eyes.

Aislinn Blair still would not drift from his mind. She lingered there, taunting him with her angelic face and soft façade. Her icy blue eyes twinkled, flecks of grey circling her pupil. Her bleach blonde hair was flipped over her shoulder as she shyly combed a stray strand out of her face.

"Dr. Alexander, make her go away," Linketh growled to the fire, clenching his teeth and the arms of the chair tighter. "I don't want to see her. I don't, I don't, I—"

Suddenly, he saw her face in the fire, and he was startled, afraid that she was trying to communicate with him. But he blinked, and her face was gone. Sighing, he realized it was just an illusion, but his heart was still racing.

"I don't understand," he muttered.

Footsteps entered the low-ceilinged common room, along with voices that were interrupting his thinking. For once, he was grateful for this.

"I swear, that friend of yours, Azazel, is the most arrogant boy I have ever met. How on earth do you put up with him?" asked Alixxis in disbelief.

"Thai isn't really a people person. He isn't arrogant, Alixxis," corrected Azazel.

Images of Alixxis's Ravenclaw partner flashed through Linketh's mind as he remembered events that happened during their Potions class. Thai was an incredible brat and annoying as bloody hell, but when he spoke to Linketh's own partner, Thai's attitude drastically changed, as if he'd never acted rudely to Alixxis. Even Thai's attitude towards Aislinn annoyed him. He wasn't fond of the bloke, but, then again, he wasn't fond of anybody. But there was something about Thai that made Linketh's blood boil, just like Cain Roman.

There was no one Linketh couldn't stand more than Cain Roman, but Thai Hetzen was almost up there. He hated Cain for his perfection and arrogant attitude, but he hated Thai for his annoyingly sweet behavior towards Aislinn.

"What is it with that Blair girl, anyway? Thai fancies her, doesn't he?" Alixxis inquired, breaking Linketh's thoughts again.

"I don't know. Thai's not exactly affectionate. I don't believe he would fancy anybody," said Azazel.

"If you saw the way he acted towards her in Potions, you'd question your belief," said Alixxis. "Hetzen's such a jealous prat, I'll bet he's even jealous of Kelgasus for being partners with her."

"Thai's _not_ a prat, Alixxis," snapped Azazel. Linketh's eyes narrowed as he eavesdropped. "You just don't know him like I do."

"That's for bloody sure," Alixxis muttered. He listened as they took their conversation into the girls's dormitories and sighed.

Was Thai Hetzen really jealous of Linketh for being partners with Aislinn? Did Thai really even like Aislinn, as Alixxis had suggested? Linketh knew that he couldn't always trust what Alixxis said, considering she was usually full of rubbish and liked to make up stories.

But Thai's behavior towards Aislinn led Linketh to believe the Ravenclaw boy could really fancy her. Linketh was disgusted as his upper lip curled into a sneer and his mismatching eyes glared into the fire. Love was disgusting. It was ugly and pathetic. Yet Linketh feared for the worst with his thoughts for Aislinn. There was no possible way he was capable of fancying the girl, not when he thought so little of the emotion itself.

Linketh sat in his chair for a while longer, and nobody even noticed him. Since the common room was still fairly empty, he figured dinner was still going on. He thought highly of this; the longer he was alone, the better. As he stared into the blazing fire, the only light that illuminated the dark and damp dungeon, his thoughts jumped from one topic to another. He first thought of Thai Hetzen and his possible love interest in Aislinn Blair, thinking about how sickly it was. Next he thought of Aislinn solely, but was immediately interrupted by remembrances of Cain Roman, Aislinn's closest companion.

Linketh snarled at his face. Cain Roman was the most vile creature he could ever come to know. He hated the boy so greatly, more than he hated everyone else. He was not jealous of his perfection and popularity, but he hated that he had both. He hated his handsome smiling face and how every girl in the entire school felt it right to bow down to him. He was utterly repulsed by Cain Roman, and he was proud to admit it.

He stood from his chair, towering over many younger students like a skyscraper, and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. As he stood, the entranceway opened and many Slytherins entered, returning from another feast at Hogwarts, chatting and laughing and scolding.

The mass majority of beings and noise made his blood curdle and he began to feel claustrophobic. He quickly exited the room, walking out of the Slytherin common room and into the dark concrete corridor of the castle. It wasn't empty, but it was a lot better than the crowded common room. He slinked against the wall and kept to the shadows, longing to linger in the dark. His combat boots made thudding echoes with each step, and his white spider fingers curled over his black wand protectively.

He sulked towards the courtyard, which was empty and illuminated by the thin crescent white moon in the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, much to Linketh's demise, but it was blackening, as the sun was nearly settled.

He made his way towards the large spindling tree that was usually littered with Gryffindor swine during free hours. He hated the tree, but at the moment it looked peaceful and inviting. Linketh walked towards it, crunching on leaves and leftover snow from a previous snow shower. It crunched underneath his boots, immediately turning to slush. Linketh scraped off some snow off of the lowest branch, which reached his neck level, and climbed on top of it, making himself comfortable as he leaned against the trunk and dangled his leg from the branch.

Linketh closed his eyes and almost smiled with content. He was at peace. It wasn't completely quiet, like he'd have liked as students passed in the corridor chatting and laughing faintly, but it was close to it. He was alone, and that was all that mattered.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been there, but he was positive he hadn't been there for hours, so when a voice called out to him, his body wrenched inside, his thin lips twisting with fury, his eyebrows narrowed down.

"Kelgasus, what are you doing here?" asked a familiar annoying voice. Linketh opened his pale green eye and met with the curious and irritated expression of Thai Hetzen.

"What?" snarled Linketh with disdain. He'd been robbed of his peace and loneliness; he was bound to be angry. Thai was taken aback and he narrowed his eyes at him, rolling them in their sockets.

"Mind the attitude, why don't we?" Thai suggested sarcastically. Linketh hated that tone of his and resisted the urge to wipe his puzzled expression off of his face. "I only asked a mere question."

"It's none of your concern. Leave me alone and get out of here," he demanded. Thai stubbornly crossed his arms over his lanky chest and gave Linketh an incredibly pigheaded look.

"I'm not leaving. This area doesn't just belong to _you_," he replied.

Linketh's blood boiled and he could feel his face heat up. He was already fed up with Thai's attitude. He figured he needed to be taught a lesson.

He jumped down from the tree and sulked towards him, looking down at Thai's figure. Thai Hetzen was tall himself, but Linketh was inches taller, which proved his abnormal colossal height. With his hood still drawn over his hair, his mismatching pale eyes glowing from the shadow of the hood, Linketh looked rather menacing and to any other person, he would have frightened them to death. But Thai was stubborn, and again, Linketh hated that.

"You think it wise to talk back to me?" Linketh hissed through bared teeth. Thai stared up at him, glaring through grey-blue eyes that were lovely and soft against to Linketh's evil ones. "I can do things to you that you wouldn't dare do to anyone else, and I'd sleep like a baby at night. I live off of people's fear for me, I hum to the sound of screams, I hunger for the sight of blood, of people in pain. Now I repeat: get. Out. Of. Here. Leave me alone."

"You're a_ freak_," spat Thai as he inched away from Linketh, drawing out his wand. "I'd just like to see you _try_ to hit me. Going to hex me? I don't think so," Thai challenged.

"You talk big, but your soul is small. Your eyes scream to me out of fear. Would you really like to damage those beautiful diamond orbs of yours?" he teased, withdrawing his own wand.

"Are you two really going to duel right here, right _now_?" chimed a melodic voice, one that made Linketh's blood curdle and ears bleed.

The two dueling boys turned to see Cain Roman lingering in the archway to the courtyard, leaning against the pillar with his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow arched above his curious chestnut eyes. His charcoal black hair carried wistfully in the wind. He looked marvelous in even his uniform, the sleeves of his black sweater rolled to his elbows and his Ravenclaw tie loosened around his neck. He crossed his ankles in his stance, his black slacks pressed and flawless. Linketh found his presence absolutely revolting.

"_Roman,"_ hissed Linketh, turning his wand on him. "Nobody asked for you to come here, pretty boy. Don't want to dirty your hands with your blood, do you?" Cain smirked and did not budge from his spot. Linketh didn't even see him flinch when he'd turned his wand on him.

"Actually, I'd _long_ for that," Cain said with a twisted grin. "So go ahead. Hex me. Make me bleed. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Kelgasus. You'd love to see my body drenched in my blood, and I'd bet you'd love to see yourself swimming in it. Go ahead, vampire; _make me bleed_."

Linketh didn't know what had happened, but he was suddenly intimidated by him. Cain's words had played around in his mind and he suddenly wanted nothing to do with him. He didn't want to hex him and cause him pain. He didn't want to see his blood pool around him like Cain had said he did. Linketh found this strange, since everything Cain had said was exactly what he wanted before he'd said it, but now that he had, he was repulsed and sickened.

Thai looked from Cain to Linketh in bewilderment, finally averting his gaze back to Cain.

"Bugger off, Roman. You don't want anything to do with us anyway. Take your monster self back to your dorm and cower in your bed, the one you never sleep in. Insomniac," he muttered the last bit.

"You too, Hetzen? You don't want dear Cain around anymore. Well alright. I'll leave you two lovers alone. I suppose you do deserve it."

Thai had turned his wand on Cain as well and shouted a curse at him, but Cain, quicker than an eye blink, whipped out his wand and blocked the spell, smirking at him and leaving them in the courtyard.

"Git," Thai muttered and he turned his gaze back to Linketh with a snarl. Linketh was still glaring at the area Cain had been standing, stuck in a daze before Thai snapped him out of it.

"So, you're a Roman-hater as well?" Thai inquired and then smirked. "Welcome to the club."


	14. Chapter Thirteen, Remus

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
REMUS

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**

Remus walked into the scarlet Gryffindor common room, followed by Peter Pettigrew, and following the ever-confident Sirius Black and James Potter. They had just come from a very satisfying dinner in the Great Hall and were stuffed with roast chicken, steak and kidney pie, roast potatoes, and custard tarts and ice cream. The common room was filling up with Gryffindors of all years.

He spotted Lily Evans sitting at a desk in the far corner of the common room, a candle's flame illuminating the light of her face and brightening her red hair. Her almond-shaped green eyes glistened in the candlelight. Remus noticed she was concentrated on a book in front of her, a quill in between her fingers and scraping against the parchment that lay before her. His shining eyes skated towards one of his closest friends. James Potter's hazel eyes lingered on Lily's frame with such admiration, admiration Remus himself could relate to.

"Aha. Ol' Prongs's lover's about," Sirius teased, nudging James in the side. He scowled at him and shrugged him away. "Hogsmeade is open to us this weekend," Sirius continued. "Perhaps you should get her to go with you."

"Brilliant suggestion, Padfoot," chimed Peter Pettigrew. Sirius grinned.

"So how about it? Gonna give it a try?" he asked the pondering James. Remus thought about he himself asking Aislinn Blair to Hogsmeade as well. He did, after all, owe her a date, since he had to decline her offer last weekend because of the full moon. He involuntarily smiled at the thought of wandering through the romantic rustic town alongside her, her dainty form close to his tall athletic one.

"Do it, Prongs! You _should_," sang Peter. Remus looked at his friends, noticing Sirius's arms crossed over his sturdy chest and Peter eyeing James with a smirk. James narrowed his eyebrows briefly before turning back to the studying Lily.

"I suppose it's worth a shot. After all, she can't possibly reject me for a seventh year in a row," he said. Sirius slapped James on the back with praise.

"Atta boy. Now that's rightful thinking, mate. Go for it." James nodded and strolled confidently off towards Lily. The remanding Marauders crept off towards the circle of scarlet sofas, fixed in front of a brilliant orange fire. They discreetly kept their gaze on James and Lily, anticipating her answer, but appearing oblivious to the passer-by's eye.

"So, Moony. Thinkin' about taking Miss Blair to Hogsmeade as well?" Sirius suggested with a wry grin. "You could double-date with ol' Prongsy, should Miss Evans agree to his offer."

Remus shrugged and thought wistfully of the idea, averting his gaze to the fire. Of course he was thinking about taking Aislinn to Hogsmeade. He always wanted an excuse to be with her. Lucky for him the two of them were good friends and she enjoyed being around him. He continued to feel utter dread and guilt when he thought about his rejection to her offer to Hogsmeade. He cursed himself for being what he was, and he also cursed the dreaded creature who made him what he was.

_That damned werewolf,_ he thought disdainfully. _Fenrir Greyback …_

He mentally snarled at the infamous werewolf's name. If he'd never been bitten, he wouldn't have to deal with what he went through now. He wouldn't have to be a pity case for Dumbledore. He wouldn't have to drink that rotten Wolfsbane potion to contain the abysmal power of the lycanthropy. He wouldn't have to lie to Aislinn and all of his other friends. He was grateful for the Marauders. Without them, Remus didn't know how he could survive in school. The secret was too heavy to carry on his own.

"Oy. Looks like Moony's got his head in the clouds thinking about his Ravenclaw beauty." Sirius's teasing voice pulled Remus from his thoughts, and he was relieved. He hadn't wanted his thoughts to drift that far. If he'd been dreaming about Aislinn Blair, then that would have been different, but the lycanthropy gave him nightmares awake or asleep. It was a nightmare he couldn't ever escape.

Remus rolled his eyes and scoffed at Sirius, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. Peter snickered beside Sirius.

"Oy, Padfoot. Looks like you're right. Ickle Moony-kins has his mind on Blair." The pudgy one of the group chortled in his seat, Sirius's handsome face spreading into a wide foxlike grin.

"So what?" Remus said finally. "You already know, I already know, I suppose there's no use hiding it." Sirius nodded with approval.

"Exactly. So, are you going to ask the girl?" he inquired.

"I do owe her a date," admitted Remus. "She asked me to Hogsmeade last weekend, but, for obvious reasons, I had to decline. She looked so sad and heartbroken." Remus's face fell to a frown and sadness swept across his features.

"Sounds as if Aislinn wanted a date with you too, Remy," said Sirius, his tone no longer teasing. Remus glanced at him and noticed a sympathetic smile crossing his lips. Remus's frown turned upside-down to a nice smile.

"Perhaps she shares your feelings, Moony. Would be nice, wouldn't it?" asked Peter, growing a gap-toothed grin.

"I sure do hope so. After all, my relationship with her has been nothing like Prongs's and Lily's," said Remus, his gaze shifting towards the corner where James was leaning casually over Lily's desk, and all over her work. She looked a tad annoyed, and Remus had a gut-feeling that this wouldn't turn out as well as James had wanted it to.

"That's for sure. At least you can stand with Blair without her snarling at you to move away," Sirius said. "I'm not aware she knows how to snarl anyway. Does the girl possess any negative emotion?" The last bit was a joke, as they all knew how kind and gentle Aislinn Blair was. Incredibly shy, as well. Remus knew she couldn't stand in front of a crowd and give a lecture to save her life. She spoke so softly, as if she didn't want anyone to hear her, and she never wanted to upset others. Remus found her so attractive, both on the outside and the inside. There was nobody more pure than she.

"Little Aislinn Blair. Very true, my friend," said Peter. "The girl is so delicate; a frown would break her face."

Remus rolled his eyes, but he thought about it. He always saw Aislinn smiling. Did she ever frown?

Immediately, his thoughts drifted back to that memory, the one where he'd rejected her. Her angelic face had plastered a frown then, and he'd produced it. Guilt, yet again, twisted his gut as he shut his eyes to cast away the pain. He'd make up for it. All he had to do was ask her out.

Just then, James Potter came around the sofa and planted himself next to Remus, perching his feet up on the coffee table in front of them and folding his arms behind his head. He wore a silly confident smirk as he sighed heavily. Sirius arched an eyebrow.

"I'll just assume that Evans finally agreed to take you up on your offer," he said and crossed his legs, folding his arms over his chest.

"You would be very right, my friend," replied James. "Ah, nothing could ruin this night. Finally. _Finally—_Evans has agreed to go out with me."

"It's just one date," Remus reminded, but he added when James scowled at him for attempting to ruin his mood, "but it's a start." They smiled at each other, and James sighed again.

"Oh, that's right. Moony, Evans agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me under one condition, but I figured it wouldn't be a problem at all," he started. Remus arched an eyebrow.

"Well?" he pressed.

"You've got to double-date with us, with Aislinn Blair. She won't go unless you two join us. I guess she doesn't fully trust me yet," he muttered.

"You guess?" Sirius snickered.

"Oh. Well—"

"You _were_ asking on Blair to Hogsmeade this weekend, weren't you?" asked James. Remus rolled his eyes. James would have blown a casket if Remus had told him otherwise. He finally nodded.

"Yes. I am asking Aislinn to Hogsmeade," he said.

"Oh brilliant. This will be great. Blair will, of course, say yes, since she bloody fancies you too"—Remus arched an eyebrow and slightly scowled, even though the confidence in his friend's words made his heart flutter. James hadn't been the only one who thought Aislinn shared his feelings for her—"and Evans and I will finally have the date of our dreams. She'll regret ever rejecting me for these past six years," he said. Remus, Sirius, and Peter all gave their friend congratulatory grins as James basked in his utter happiness. Remus glanced over at Lily Evans, who, to his surprise, had been watching the four of them, her bright green eyes lingering particularly on James himself, and watched her smile at him before going back to her schoolwork.


	15. Chapter Fourteen, Remus

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
REMUS

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**

The weekend was drawing near and Remus had yet to ask Aislinn to Hogsmeade with him. He didn't know what was keeping him—after all, they were friends and she would glad go with him, especially if she knew Lily would be going too—but something inside him twisted with nerves. Perhaps it was because he was anxious for her answer. He'd declined her offer to go to Hogsmeade; she could very well decline his. Nothing was for certain. And, he noticed that she'd been spending quite a lot of time with her Potions partner, Kelgasus, putting in extra time to complete their project before term ended and finals were due.

"You've got to ask her, mate," James pressed while they walked towards the Great Hall for breakfast that morning. He clapped a hand on his shoulder and arched his eyebrows with anticipation. "I must go on this date with Evans. I need to show her what a swell guy I can be, but _you've_ got to bring Blair so she _will_ go with me."

"Well jeez. No pressure, right?" said Remus sarcastically.

"Relax, Prongs," said Sirius, flanking James's other side. "Blair will go with Moony. We all know she'll accept his offer."

Remus could only hope so.

They entered the Great Hall and Remus automatically searched for Aislinn Blair, scanning the wide room for a particular bleach blonde girl. James discreetly nudged Remus towards the direction of the Ravenclaw table, wanting him to ask her already. With a final scowl, Remus trudged towards the bustling Ravenclaws, chatting animatedly amongst themselves.

He walked in between the Ravenclaw table and their neighbor, the Slytherins, as he found the shy angelic female, giggling to something her closest comrade, Cain Roman, had told her. No bubbles of jealous eroded from Remus, as he knew that, strangely enough, Aislinn held no affection towards Cain in the way every other girl—mind Lily Evans as well—did for him. It was as if his remarkably handsome features and charm held no effect on her, which, for Remus, was a very swell thing.

He caught Cain's eye first, nodding a greeting to him. A smile sprung on the Ravenclaw's lips as he eyed Aislinn again. The petite girl turned her head to look up at Remus, who awkwardly stood in another's territory.

"Remus!" she beamed, her face bright and eyes wide. Remus involuntarily smiled widely in return, everyone around them seemingly fading while the two of them squared off. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if I might be able to talk to you outside," he started, and quickly added towards Cain's direction, "if it's fine that I tear her away from your conversation for a bit. I am sorry about that." Cain waved him off.

"Perfectly fine, mate. Don't worry. Aislinn's all yours." He noticed a coy smile directed towards Aislinn's way and she scowled at him, her cheeks flushing a rose petal color.

Remus escorted Aislinn out of the Great Hall, catching James's anxious eye on his way. He brought her just outside the large doors, towards the grand marble staircase that led to the hall. Aislinn wrapped her frail arms about her waist, tilting her head curiously as her long, pin-straight, bleach blonde hair tumbled to one side. Her big blue eyes gazed at him affectionately, a smile pressed against her full pink lips. Remus couldn't help but stare at her. She was just so beautiful.

He finally cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Aislinn, I know I disappointed you by not taking you up on your offer last weekend to go to Hogsmeade with you," he started, and was quickly interrupted by Aislinn, her smile dropped to an innocent frown, eyes wide.

"Oh, no! You didn't disappoint me, Remus. You could never. It was just wrong timing. Really, it's nothing to feel guilty over," she assured, speaking very quickly. Remus chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, what a relief, then!" he laughed. Aislinn followed with a giggle. "Then I was hoping you would take me up on my offer and attend Hogsmeade with me this Saturday. James and Lily would be accompanying us as well."

Her eyes were wide and she bit her bottom lip. Remus's gut twisted again, fearing that one little word she might utter. But an edge to her lips tilted upwards into a crooked smile and she nodded shyly.

"Yes, I would love to," she said, almost in a whisper. Remus beamed and clapped his hands.

"Oh brilliant! James is going to be ecstatic. I'm thrilled we're going together," he said.

"Are James and Lily joining us as a couple?" she inquired with surprise. Remus nodded. "Merlin's beard! She's finally agreed? What a shocker! All she talks about is how impudent and insolent James Potter is, but now that she's going on a date with him, I suppose that is all just to cover her feelings, unless she's doing this unwillingly," Aislinn rambled, but Remus didn't mind. He longed to hear her voice race through his ears.

"James mentioned that she'd only go with him if you joined them. So I thought it would be nice if we could go to Hogsmeade … together … as a couple," he muttered softly. Aislinn's smile grew widely and she shyly looked away, her cheeks flushing pink again.

"I think it would be nice as well," she whispered in agreement. They stood in silence for a while, but Remus's mind was far from quiet. His mind screamed with thoughts of excitement. He loved attending Hogsmeade with Aislinn, and he longed to attend the village with her as a couple. The double date idea sounded marvelous to him. He was thrilled that he was given a reason to go up and ask her, instead of just randomly. He would have been too shy for something like that.

"Well, I guess we should be getting back to the hall. We do have breakfast to attend," said Aislinn. Remus nodded.

"Right." They walked towards the Great Hall and shyly bid each other farewell as they separated to their Houses. James was literally jumping in his seat, waiting for Remus's answer.

"Oy now. Tell us, Moony. What happened?" James said eagerly. Remus arched an eyebrow at him and smirked.

"Calm yourself, Prongs," said Remus. "You're going on that date with Lily. Aislinn's agreed to come with us." James howled a cheer of excitement. Sirius burst into laughter. Other Gryffindors peered at them with questioning looks, including Lily Evans.

"This is just bloody brilliant. Can't tell you how excited I am for this, mate. It's going to be one hell of a date, I promise you," James said. Remus smirked.

"I sure hope so. I'd like to say the same for myself."

"Aw. Well isn't that cute? Ickle Remykins is hoping his little date with Miss Blair turns out just swell," Sirius teased, reaching across the table to tug lightly on Remus's cheeks. Peter snorted with laughter. Remus swatted his hand away.

"Oh quiet, you," he said. "I don't suppose you'll be joining us with a date as well?" Sirius scoffed.

"Me? No, too many girls to choose from."

"Don't think so, mate. Not with Roman at this school you don't," chuckled James. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Roman's my friend. He'll let me choose from his selection. I'm just as good-looking."

"And nowhere _near_ as modest," muttered Remus with an eye roll.

"Don't we all know it, Moony," James said in agreement. Sirius narrowed his handsome grey eyes at the both of them, scooping a large spoonful of porridge into his mouth.

"I can get a date," he challenged, porridge dripping from his lips. Remus arched an eyebrow.

"Not with porridge pouring from your bloody mouth you won't," he said. Sirius swallowed his porridge and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin next to him.

"Pipe down, Lupin. I can bloody well get a date. I'll join your double-date with Prongs. Watch me bring the loveliest girl to Hogsmeade on Saturday."

"Sorry mate, but I'm already taking that girl to the village," said James cleverly. Sirius scowled.

"Actually, boys, I believe the loveliest girl at the school is already going to Hogsmeade with _me_," Remus said with a smile.

"I'm afraid I'm not referring to either Miss Evans or Miss Blair," said Sirius.

"If you're not talking about Lily, then I'm afraid there is no one else you _could_ be referring to," James said.

"Or Aislinn," Remus added. Sirius sighed and shook his head at his friends, shoulder-length luscious black locks swaying.

"Oh you two and you're dear significant others," he sighed.


	16. Chapter Fifteen, Thai & Aislinn

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
THAI

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**

Aislinn was all grins on her way towards her first class, adjoined by Thai as they walked outside to the snowy landscape. He looked at her curiously, wondering what could have made her so happy. Was it because of them being together at the moment? His heart fluttered with ecstasy, a smile appearing on his thin lips. Aislinn Blair was his heart's desire. He hoped to God that she was grinning so widely because she walked beside him.

Suddenly, all ecstasy drifted away when he was reminded of her encounter with Remus Lupin, one of the Marauders who resided in Gryffindor. He watched curiously as his lanky brunette figure walked shyly towards Aislinn's seat as she chatted animatedly with Cain Roman—much to his demise. Remus had taken Aislinn away from the Ravenclaw table and out of the Great Hall, and they stayed outside for a good ten-fifteen minutes. It wasn't until they'd walk back in that Thai knew something had played to Aislinn's favor. The happiness in his gut dissipated. She wasn't happy because she was with Thai; she was happy because of whatever happened outside the Great Hall. Indeed what _had_ happened?

"Lupin's visit was quite unexpecting," Thai began. "What did he want?" Aislinn arched an eyebrow, her dazed smile spreading even further.

"Oh, yes. It was unexpecting, wasn't it? Unexpecting … and wanted." She giggled and sighed, her cheeks flushing a soft pink. Thai's eyebrows narrowed as he studied her closely. Anger bubbled inside of him as he realized what she was experiencing.

Thai's love of his life had fallen in love with one of his friends.

Dread filled every inch of his body as his heart slowly tore. Remus was close with Thai, but he still considered him a friend. He was nice and a good fellow, at least until now. Now that Aislinn was in love with him, he could feel nothing but animosity for the Marauder.

He was quiet, then, keeping himself in a disdainful silence. Aislinn noticed his lack of speaking and questioned him.

"Thai? Are you alright?" she asked when she noticed his greyish-blue eyes glaring ahead of him.

"Just bloody fine," he snarled through gritted teeth. Aislinn's eyebrows knitted together.

"I don't think so. Tell me what's bothering you, Thai," she insisted, resting a hand on his dangerously thin arm. The touch made his heart pound violently against his ribs. He could feel the soft heat radiating from her skin through his robes, a tingling sensation rushing through his skin as her delicate fingers curled around his arm. He held his breath and briefly looked down at her fingers wrapped around him before dazing back out in front of him.

"Nothing is wrong," he snapped again. Aislinn frowned.

"I thought we were friends, Thai," she said. Hearing this made him halt and shut his eyes.

"We _are_," he sighed heavily.

"Then tell me what is bloody bothering you. You can tell me anything!" she insisted. He looked down at her, looking into her frustrated and confused bright blue orbs, her perfectly formed lips almost pouting. Bleach blonde, pin-straight hair fell past her shoulders, framing her face while her bangs were pinned to the side of her head, so as to keep out of her eyes. He loved how her face was so visible for him to see.

As much as it pained him, Aislinn couldn't be told everything she wanted. He couldn't tell her how he felt about her, at least not now. He couldn't tell her how he felt about her closest friend, Cain, about how he hated him with a furious passion. Thai felt her friendship, but wanted her love even more. He was too selfish to realize how unfortunate that was for him.

"Thai Hetzen, I am no imbecile. I know you're hiding something. I just wish you'd have the courage to actually tell me." Narrowing her eyes and removing her hand from his arm, she crossed her arms over her chest and shuffled through the snow without him. Thai glared in her direction, but did not glare _at_ her. His glare was really meant for himself, for being too cowardly to confess his feelings. But he wouldn't be able to handle the rejection. He didn't want to hurt anymore.

"I'm a bastard," Thai growled to himself as he slowly trudged through the snow, hating himself even more.

* * *

**AISLINN**

**

* * *

**

What in the world had been Thai's problem? She'd seen him upset before, but while they were walking, he'd looked infuriated, as if he hated the world. She'd never been alone when Thai had been so angry before. It was as if she'd never seen that side of him, but she had. And right now, it was to an even greater extent. Why was he so angry all of a sudden?

Aislinn shook her hair out of her face as she stomped through the snow, making her way down the field to her Care of Magical Creatures class. She met with some of her fellow Ravenclaw friends, arms hugging themselves to keep the warmth in their bodies. They smiled at her arrival, and Aislinn struggled to forget the slight upsetting discussion Thai and she shared. She couldn't help but wonder what in the world he was hiding.

"We noticed Remus Lupin coming up to you during breakfast, Linn. What was that about?" inquired one of her friends, however not one of her closer ones, Taryn Boot. Her hair was short and black, sliced at her jaw and flared out. Aislinn always thought of Taryn as a supermodel. She was tall, fair, and beautiful with large bright amber eyes and full lips. Aislinn also knew that Taryn was quite the flirt.

"Oh, that," said Aislinn wistfully, remembering her unexpecting counter with the boy she fancied greatly. It was such a wonderful surprise seeing him there that morning, and even more great that he had kept his promise to take her out that weekend. Suddenly, all thoughts about Thai left her mind and she began to imagine her double date with Lily and James while coupled with Remus. She sighed dreamily, and it was Taryn's sultry chuckle that dragged her from her thoughts.

"Guess it was quite an interesting encounter," she mused. "Care to share the details?"

"Students, please take out your texts. We will be reviewing Aethonons very briefly before continuing on to the next chapter," boomed their Care of Magical Creatures, Professor Wolfeneagle, as he appeared from out of the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Both Aislinn and Taryn fell quiet as they searched for their monstrous-looking books from their bags.

"Tell me later, yes?" she whispered to Aislinn. Aislinn nodded and looked around. She saw Thai finally arriving to their class, walking just as slow as he had been when she left him. His head was bowed, his blonde curly locks falling over his visage as he trudged toward them. Aislinn sighed and returned her focus to her book.

* * *

Aislinn pulled her long hair over one shoulder, staring at her reflection in the sole floor-length mirror in their dormitory, running a brush through it. She smiled softly, imagining how her day would be with Remus, James, and Lily. Her heart fluttered with excitement as she longed to be alongside Remus again. She tossed her hair back and flicked her bangs out of her eyes. Her eyelashes brushed against her cheeks as she blinked, her face clear of any make-up. She fixed silky ice blue headband in her hair and combed a lock behind her ear, which bore single tiny diamond studs. She glanced over what she'd finally decided to wear in the mirror. Her dainty figure was compressed in a woolly turtleneck dress of cream color. She sported black stockings underneath her dress and dark boots to wear in the snow. A sky blue pea coat that matched her headband was cast off on her bed, along with a fluffy white scarf and a tote bag. She wanted to make sure she looked perfect for Remus, but also warm enough for the weather.

After sighing heavily, she turned away from the mirror to grab her things and left the dormitory. She met Cain sitting in front of the fire, a book in his lap. His head was perched on his fist, his legs crossed, and a dazed expression glazed over his face. When she appeared at the bottom step of the staircase to the dorms, Cain looked over at her.

"Well, well. Look at you, darling," he mused, a kind smile spreading over his face. "That Remus Lupin is a lucky fellow." Aislinn's cheeks blushed a feverish red as she looked down at her boots, her hair falling over her shoulders.

"Cain …" she whispered shyly. When she looked up again, Cain had appeared in front of her, lifting her chin.

"Enjoy your date. I hope something sparks," he said. Aislinn giggled and nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Love must truly be a wonderful thing."

"Cain … how did you—? Nobody said I was in _love_ with Remus," she said quickly. He chuckled.

"Oh, Linn. It's written all over your face. I've studied lovers. Your eyes glitter differently when you see him," he said gently. Her cheeks blushed again, and she grasped on to the hand that held her chin.

"Cain, you truly are a good friend. I know I can tell you anything," she said.

"Let me walk you out. An adorable girl like you may be swept away by another boy before you even get to Mr. Lupin," Cain said. Aislinn rolled her eyes.

"Oh Cain. You are imaginative," she said, but she agreed to walk with him.

He walked alongside her in a pair of tan slacks and a navy blue sweater, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, as usual. His black hair was the least bit shaggy, but it was not combed neatly. Aislinn thought it looked perfect any way, though. The style reminded her of Remus's hairstyle, how it never looked completely tame, but he attempted to keep it tamed anyway.

"You're thinking about him?" asked Cain as they walked out of the common room. She jerked her head to him and widened her eyes.

"What makes you say?" she asked, defensively. He chuckled that melodic chuckle that made it hard to look at him, for fear of falling under his charm.

"Just guessing," he replied, shaking his head.

Walking down the corridor towards the courtyard where Remus had agreed to meet her, the pair came across Thai Hetzen, flanked by Cain's Potions partner, Azazel Zeela Yein, the Slytherin Metamorphmagus. Thai's eyes automatically glared when he found Cain walking beside Aislinn. Sadness swept over her again as she recalled the morning where she realized Thai was hiding things from her.

"I thought Aislinn was on a date with Lupin, not _you_, Roman," he snarled, though his tone sounded as if he wasn't too happy about the idea of dating Remus as well. Aislinn's eyebrows knitted together. She looked up at Cain who merely smirked. Azazel rolled her brown eyes.

"Jealous, are we, Hetzen? Aislinn's on her way to meet Remus right now. I'm merely an escort," replied Cain nonchalantly.

"Since when does Aislinn need an escort?" snapped Thai. Azazel grasped his shoulder, squeezing it.

"Calm down, Thai. You're being so bloody ridiculous," she muttered. Thai turned on her to glare, but when he heard Cain snicker, he glared right back at him.

"She's right, Hetzen. No need to be so overprotective. Remus and I take good care of our little Aislinn." She felt Cain's arm snake around her shoulders and silently gasped when he pressed her to the side of his body. She widened her eyes when she noticed Thai's infuriation. She was beginning to realize the reason why Thai was so angry that morning, why he was so angry now. He was always angry when she was around Cain, and, now that he mentioned her going on a date with Remus, his fury grew.

Thai Hetzen really couldn't be fancying her, could he?

After all the years she thought he held some feelings for his sole Slytherin friend, since he spent so much time with her, many people thought they fancied each other. But Thai was seemingly so jealous when Aislinn was mentioned with another boy. How long had this been going on underneath her nose?

_"Roman …"_ Thai hissed through bared teeth. Aislinn noticed Azazel's hair shift to a matte black as she forcefully faced Thai to her short, well-curved body, her hands now grasping both of his shoulders as she turned him.

"You need to cool it, Hetzen. Let them be," she said. "Come on. Let's get to the library already."

"You only side with Roman because you fancy him, don't you?" Thai snarled at his friend. Aislinn widened her eyes at the quickness her hair shifted to a fiery red.

"Don't make me make you wish you'd never been born, Thai Hetzen. I don't fancy the git, and you know it!" she whispered menacingly. Aislinn looked up at Cain to find him deeply amused in their own little quarrel.

"You think she really fancies me?" inquired Cain to Aislinn, not taking his eyes of the infuriated Metamorphmagus. Azazel's ears perked and she turned her head towards him, eyes black with anger.

"I _don't_ like you, Roman! Get the hell out of here, why don't you? Take your bloody little sweet with you, too," Azazel sneered. She shoved Thai away from the pair, and Aislinn watched wide-eyed, completely in shock of the entire conversation.

"I hope you don't fret over something like this during your date, Linn," said Cain as he pressed his hand gently against the small of her back, pushing her forward. She shook her head and began to walk.

"I most certainly was not prepared for any of this. Thai fancying me? Does he really? How long? Is he really jealous of Remus for taking me out today? And that girl, Azazel. Does she really fancy you? Oh goodness, I need to clear my head." Cain chuckled.

"Again, nothing to worry about. You'll forget all about this once you're with your love and your friends," assured Cain and Aislinn sighed. She couldn't wait to walk through Hogsmeade with Remus and her friends.


	17. Chapter Sixteen, Cain & Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
CAIN

* * *

**

Cain was relaxing in the Ravenclaw common room when he heard stomping nearing the entranceway. Thai Hetzen stormed into the room, shaking his head of bouncy nutmeg curls in fury. His diamond grey-blue eyes were narrowed into slits. Cain peered at him with curiosity, arching an eyebrow and pressing the tips of his fingers together. Thai caught his eyes and snarled at him.

"What are _you _looking at, Roman? You want to see freaky? Look in the mirror," he snapped. Cain chuckled melodically.

"Who said anything about staring at something freaky? I'm just curious as to why you're so angry."

"Well it's none of your business, so bugger off," Thai sneered and stormed up to their dorm room. Cain sighed and briefly closed his eyes. Thai was such an angry child. Curiosity bit at his thoughts and wondered what could be bothering Thai. He didn't care for Thai himself, but he wondered if his anger had anything to do with Aislinn going on a date with Remus Lupin. Cain very well saw the jealousy etched on Thai's face. He realized that Thai had deep affections for his closest human comrade, perhaps just as much as Remus had for her.

Cain pursed his lips. Even someone as angry as Thai had found love, yet someone who sought it so desperately, such as himself, could not. He stood from his azure armchair and exited the domed Ravenclaw common room and waltzed up to his dorm room, finding Thai stubbornly sitting on his bed, cradling himself like a small child. Pieces of parchment were strewn around him and Cain spotted chicken-scratch scrawled across them, words like _unnatural_, _inhumane_, and _monster_ popping out at him with his fascinating eyesight. Thai hadn't seen Cain walk in and perch himself on his bed, back against the headboard, his long legs outstretched and his hands folded over his lower torso. Many girls would find his pose much like a supermodel's.

"So, Hetzen, what are you working on? An extra-credit assignment?" called Cain. Thai literally jumped in his seat and stared wide-eyed at Cain. He hastily gathered his parchments and hid them in his lap.

"What are you doing here?" he barked.

"This is my dorm room just as much as yours," Cain mentioned. "Say, Hetzen, how long have you had feelings for Aislinn?"

Thai's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, his face contorting with utter shock.

"What?" he whispered. "W-where did you get a boggling idea like that?" Cain laughed whole-heartedly.

"Hetzen, it's written all over your face. Your eyes might as well turn into large red hearts when you look at her. I'm surprised she hadn't figured it out until just a few hours ago," he said, thinking out loud.

"She found out?" Thai exclaimed. Cain beamed.

"Ah! So you _do_ fancy her, don't you?" he chimed. Thai pursed his lips and glared.

"You slimy rotten git!" he hissed. Cain waved him off.

"Honestly, don't you ever get tired of calling me names? Anyway, now that I'm for certain, tell me; how long have you felt affection for Linn? How did it happen? Was it at random, or did it gradually grow?"

"Why are you asking so many bloody questions? The entire female student population trails after you like some sodding lost puppy. I wouldn't put it past you if you had many love stories of your own. Why are you asking for mine?"

Cain's eyebrows widened and his smile twisted with curiosity. "Me? Many love stories? Oh, how I wish. I fantasize, but I long to feel the real thing. That is why I'm asking."

Thai's eyebrows knitted together. "I don't understand you," he said.

"I want to fall in love, but how will I know if I do?"

"I … _What_? Roman, you sodding idiot, why are you asking these stupid questions? Why are you talking so honestly with me? Why are you talking to me _period_?" Thai babbled, confused.

"I'm the sodding idiot? I figured I've been completely blunt with you. I want to fall in love, but I don't know how."

"How do you _not_? It's human nature, Roman," snapped Thai. Cain arched an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Oh, well, of course it is." Cain grinned, and Thai knitted his eyebrows suspiciously.

"But … you're _not _human," Thai said slowly and softly as he narrowed his eyebrows. "_You're_ not _human_."

Cain arched an eyebrow. "Same as ever, Hetzen. You just get a kick out of labeling me, don't you?"

Inside, Cain's insides churned. He'd gone too far, gotten too reckless. He knew Thai was already on the search to figuring out what he was, but he'd let his guard down and let him almost see what he really was, proving that he really wasn't human. By the glint in Thai's eye and the intensity of his stare, he knew that Thai was just another step closer to uncovering his dark secret.

* * *

**LINKETH**

**

* * *

**

Sitting in the common room, Linketh isolated himself for the other Slytherins, who were surrounding the ornate fireplace, the mounting collected with gruesome gargoyle and serpentine figures. He listened to the frustrated tone of Azazel Zeela Yein, describing the argument she'd had with her annoying Ravenclaw friend, the one who'd been so polite to Linketh's Potions partner during class. Alixxis Randelle, Severus Snape, and Regulus Black lingered around her, listening to her tale. Linketh wasn't exactly sure if the boys were listening, though, however he knew Alixxis was all ears. She always was when it came to Azazel.

"Thai is just being such a child," Azazel sneered. "I'm appalled he'd even say such a thing! Me? Fancying Cain Roman? Bloody hell! What a scandal!"

"Cain Roman may be handsome and fascinating, but he is not so much as worthy as you, Azazel," Alixxis agreed. "He walks about with that dainty Ravenclaw girl, is friends with every Mudblood and blood-traitor at this school, and kisses up to each teacher as if he has no dignity. He makes me sick." Linketh smirked and a soft, dark chuckle hissed through his lips. Each of their heads turned his way.

"Finally, somebody yet agrees with me. Shame you don't quite agree with what you yourself are saying, Randelle," Linketh said, examining his spidery fingers. Alixxis snarled at him.

"What are you talking about, Kelgasus?" she spat. "Of course I do, otherwise I wouldn't be saying it, you imbecile."

"Don't think so highly of yourself, Randelle. You aren't pleasing anyone," he sneered.

"Kelgasus, shut your trap. No one was talking to you. You already think highly of yourself. How could anyone think a boy who has no friends and is as isolate as you could be so mighty?" Snape shot back. Alixxis grinned coldly, a grin Regulus Black would call a _Bellatrix Black_ grin.

Linketh's mismatching eyes turned cold and menacing on Snape. "You must have forgotten what I told you the night you nearly crossed the line to your torture," he hissed. "You forget that my heart is nowhere near faint. I can torture you 'til you wish you were dead and I can still sleep soundly." Snape's eyes widened with fear as the memory flashed back. Linketh's eyes darted from Snape's face to the other three who ridiculed him. He was pleased to see the fear plastered over their faces as well.

"Anyone else dare to ridicule me?"

"You're a monster," snarled Alixxis. Linketh smirked.

"You think I didn't know that, Miss Randelle?" he laughed, which was a cruel and wicked sound that made even the other Slytherins cringe. "I'm more than that; I'm a _demon_." He stood from the chair, towering over the others as his pallid thin figure was draped in oversized Slythern robes. His boots thudded against the floor as he neared the quartet. Azazel's fire red hair shifted to a pale blonde, almost white, matching Linketh's own hair color.

"Let me tell you something about Cain Roman," he began. "The bloke is a fake, a pansy, and deserves to fall dead right where he stands. He's low to use his sodding good looks to charm people to bid his favors. He's disgusting. He's a slick git."

Memories of his encounter with Cain outside in the courtyard flashed through his mind as he managed to hide a shudder. He'd truly embarrassed him and his words made him sick to his stomach. Linketh hated the boy more than anyone.

"One thing is for sure," Linketh continued. "When Cain dies, you'll see _me_ standing in his pool of blood."


	18. Chapter Seventeen, Remus

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
REMUS

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**

His dark eyes were glued to Aislinn when she arrived with Cain at the courtyard. He'd been sitting on a stone bench beside James and Lily, who were awkwardly quiet, waiting for them. He'd been surprised to see Cain and worried for a split moment that he would be accompanying the four of them.

"Hello, everyone," Cain greeted, smiling widely with a wave of his hand. "Just thought I'd walk with Aislinn to the courtyard. I'm afraid I won't be able to join you, however." He said this in a joking manner and Remus felt himself involuntarily sighing with relief, though, thankfully, not obviously. He watched as Cain leaned down to her and whispered something to her. She nodded and bid him goodbye. She approached him and Remus immediately stood to greet her.

"Sorry to keep you," she said shyly, bowing her head. Remus smiled and shook his head.

"No need to be sorry, Aislinn," he said kindly. She tilted her chin up and smiled shyly.

"Thanks for coming, Linn," Lily said, rising to her feet and joining Remus at his side. Her red hair fell over her shoulders, green eyes sparkling wildly, and was dressed in a cherub pink sweater, knee-length chocolate brown skirt, and a pair of dark boots. Aislinn smiled at her and nodded. James was shortly at her side.

"Of course," Aislinn replied. "Why would I pass up a day to spend with my friends?" She giggled and Remus could feel his cheeks flushing. He thought she was beautiful in her turtleneck dress and boots, her coat matching her eyes her hair pushed behind her shoulders. Diamond studs sparkled in her ears, glinting to him invitingly.

"So, shall we get going? Padfoot said he'd meet us at Madam Puttifoot's. You reckon he's got himself his 'lovely' gal?" asked James to Remus. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes, let's get going, then," Remus agreed. He held his arm out for Aislinn and she beamed, bouncing towards him, taking it with her own. They smiled at each other like a real couple and Remus felt his stomach flutter with butterflies.

James held his arm out for Lily. She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes, before sighing and giving in and taking it.

"I suppose just for the day," she muttered. James grinned at Remus as Lily took his arm. Remus chuckled and rolled his eyes.

They walked the cobblestone path into Hogsmeade, the rustic village looking almost like a winter wonderland with all of the white snow on the roofs and the ground. The village was as crowded as ever, appearing more crowded than even Diagon Alley. The quartet shuffled through the crowds of elder witches and wizards, elves, and banshees, and pushed through the door of the tiny teashop.

Tacky décor filled the cramped shop, golden cherubs floating from above throwing pink confetti amongst the snuggling couples. Round tables were crammed into the shop, filled with tea-drinking customers.

"So many sodding people in this shop," grumbled James. "Padfoot had better found us a good table."

With James leading the way, they hooked arms and pushed their chain through the shop. One would have thought that it would have been easy to find someone in a small shop, but the amount of people inside was endless. Finally, when they reached the back, they spotted a shaggy black head that could only belong to their Marauder.

"Padfoot!" called James. The boy turned his head and grinned wryly. Sirius Black's grey eyes gleamed. "Come on. He's gotten a table."

"Oh good. I can't wait to sit down. These crowds are quite weary," sighed Lily. James tightened his grip on her arm with his own and tugged them forward, pushing through the crowds. They finally reached Sirius's table, and Remus met eyes with a pair of big bright amber orbs. Her face beamed and she shook her jaw-length black hair from her face when she noticed Aislinn.

"Taryn! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Aislinn, producing a seemingly strained smile. She was in no hurry to meet with her fellow Ravenclaw, so Remus figured the two must have not been close friends.

"Mister Black invited me on short notice. Quite nice of him, though," she added, flashing a charming smile his way. He grinned right back at her.

"Well, she's quite a charmer, but she's not my Lily. I still think Evans is lovelier," murmured James to Remus.

"'Fraid not, mate. Aislinn's still holding my vote," Remus disagreed. The both of them exchanged challenging grins before helping their dates in their chairs and sitting with them. Aislinn smiled at Remus.

"I'm glad we're here together," she said softly. His heart fluttered.

"I am too."

"As am _I_," James interjected, "with Evans, I mean. You're going to have a blast, Evans, and you'll just want to go out with me again." Lily sighed heavily and exchanged a look with Aislinn.

"He's been telling us that all week," mentioned Sirius. "The bloke is bloody confident. Would be a shame to ruin his dreams after coming so close to achieving them." Remus sighed. Lily pursed her lips.

"We'll see about that," she said. "Don't get your hopes up too high," she told James.

"Why don't we order. I'd fancy a pumpkin pasty right alongside a nice cup of tea just about now," said Taryn, clapping her thin hands together.

"Whatever you say, love," Sirius said, draping his arm around the back of her chair. She giggled and the two began murmuring flirtatious nothings to the other, as if they had been dating for ages.

"I wasn't even aware they knew each other," whispered Aislinn to Remus.

"I wasn't either," said Lily, overhearing them.

They ordered their cravings and sat and chatted, having a good time. They laughed and chuckled and joked. A couple hours later they stayed before agreeing it was time to leave. The shop had grown heavy in customer capacity and the lack of space was growing uncomfortable.

"We should head to Zonko's," suggested Sirius. James and Remus grew silly smiles, but Lily groaned.

"Zonko's? Oh dear, no," she disagreed.

"No, no Zonko's," James agreed. "Where would you like to go, Evans?" Sirius and Remus rolled their eyes.

"We could go to Honeydukes. I do love browsing the candy," suggested Aislinn.

"That sounds marvelous," Remus said. Lily nodded.

"Yes, I agree. Let's head down there."

The group shuffled through the snow, Remus longing to pull Aislinn close to him. They hooked arms again, but he could only feel the _just friends_ vibe from her. He thought with disappointment how he wanted more than that from her. He wanted their friendship to escalate to the next level.

They entered the bright and cheery sweet-smelling shop. Remus smiled widely at the beaming angelic face of his date.

"Oh look at how delectable these all look! Oh—take a gander over there! Just look at those candies," Aislinn exclaimed. "Come, Remus!" She tugged on his sleeve, but didn't have to be asked twice to follow. He eagerly fell into step with her, gazing at the colorful homemade candies.

"Who knew Aislinn had such a sweet tooth?" snickered Sirius as he watched the pair prance away.

"Don't they look beautiful? I love the colors," she sighed.

"I'll get you some if you'd like," Remus offered. Aislinn turned to him, looking up into his eyes.

"Oh Remus. You really don't need to," she said. He smiled.

"But I want to," he assured. Remus would buy the world for Aislinn if he could. He couldn't help but stare at her angelic face, her cheeks blushing adorably. The edges of her perfect lips turned upward into a shy smile. He grasped her dainty hand. "Just tell me which ones you'd like."

She bit her bottom lip. "You truly are a gentleman, Remus," she whispered, and then hesitantly pointed to her desired candy. He even included a couple of chocolates into his shopping bag and brought it to the checkout counter. Mr. Ambrosius Flume, the owner of the ever-popular candy shop, smiled at the couple.

"Ready to checkout, young sir?" inquired the man. Remus handed him his bag. He handed Mr. Flume the amount of sickles and galleons Aislinn's goody bag was worth and then was handed back the bought candies. "You enjoy those, lad, with your fair lady, I presume?"

"Oh, um …" Aislinn stumbled to find her words, and Remus was no better at searching for them.

"Thank you, sir," said Remus, grabbing the bag and handing it to Aislinn. They turned, their shoulders touching, to find their friends, both embarrassed by Mr. Flume's words.

"He thought we were a couple," she said. Remus grew a crooked smile.

"Maybe we are," he said. "What would you think of that?" He reached to grasp her hand again, squeezing it gently and affectionately. Her beautiful sky blue eyes widened with surprise before she smiled widely.

"I'd think quite fondly of that idea," she said in reply, and his heart slammed against his chest, thrilled at the fact that they'd finally passed the stage of friendship. At last, he could call Aislinn _his_ girl.


	19. Chapter Eighteen, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
CAIN

* * *

**

When Cain walked into Potions on Monday, he noticed the classroom set up with Slytherins sitting on one side, and Ravenclaws sitting on the other, both Houses relieved they could sit wherever they wanted again. Once again, all eyes were averted to his direction as he strolled inside, eyeing Aislinn's long, bleach blonde hair adorned with a silver jeweled clip to hold the strands that fell in her face back. He swiftly took the empty aisle seat next to her and grinned her way.

"Hello Linn," he chimed. She appeared bright and perky, much more than usual, and Cain assumed that it had to do with the success of her date with Remus Lupin the past Saturday. He recalled her bouncing into the Ravenclaw room, very unfamiliar from her usual shy façade. He'd inquired that the date had gone well, and Aislinn had proceeded to tell him how well it had actually gone. She added finally that Remus had asked her to be his girlfriend, and Cain's imagination took off. He could watch how Remus and Aislinn's relationship would grow, and take pointers to help him fall in love. But Remus's words still hung in his thoughts, _"You'll know when you fall in love."_ So Cain continued to remain hopeful.

"Good afternoon, Cain," Aislinn replied cheerfully. Cain chuckled.

"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine today?" he said. Aislinn giggled.

"Being with Remus just makes me feel differently," she sighed. "I can never not be happy when I'm around him, and he always makes me smile. Goodness, that's quite sappy, isn't it?" She blushed.

"I think it's marvelous," Cain murmured, grinning. "I'm quite thrilled you and Remus have finally gotten together. It's something you both have wanted for a while."

Though Aislinn couldn't recall ever telling Cain her deepest feelings for Remus, she smiled and nodded anyway. She figured it was him just being intuitive, as usual.

"As if anybody would care if you thought it were marvelous or not," spat the familiar cruel voice of Thai Hetzen, his looming figure passing their table. His diamond blue eyes glared at Cain—and Cain only—as he walked by. He was followed by Cain's former Potions partner, the Metamorphmagus Azazel Zeela Yein, Thai's best friend. Azazel rolled her as she parted from Thai, taking the table across from Cain and Aislinn and sitting next to her fellow Slytherin friends, Alixxis Randelle and Severus Snape. Cain overheard Alixxis whisper rude inquiries about how Azazel could stand to be around Thai, and Azazel snapped back at her with her own defenses.

"Don't listen to Thai," Aislinn whispered, placing a fragile hand over Cain's pallid strong one. "I strongly care about what you have to say."

Cain arched an eyebrow and grinned widely at her. "Oh Linn, believe me; I have not a care in the world about what dear Mr. Hetzen has to say. It's quite obvious he's jealous."

Thai whipped his head around, his curls slapping the sides of his face. "I'm _not_ jealous!" he hissed. Cain tuned him out and mused at Aislinn. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyebrows.

"Cain," she whispered. "Please. Don't …"

"Everything's perfectly fine, Aislinn," Cain assured.

Suddenly, before Thai could snap another rude remark at Cain, Professor Slughorn trotted inside, his velvet robes billowing behind him as he stroked his walrus mustache and rubbed his bald head.

"Welcome, my dear students. We continue yet another day here in Potions, but with the relief of the start of a brand new term. I am pleased to tell you that almost all of your projects very well exceeded my expectations and received either E's or O's. Very, very good indeed.

"Now, I'd like to begin class with revealing my curiosity towards how well the pairing of unusual partners underwent. According to your final results, however, it must have gone quite well. The chemistry between each pair must have worked. Would anyone care to share something interesting they learned about their partner?" He clapped his beefy hands together and smiled, the edges of his lips slightly lifting his mustache. Nobody raised their hand. Cain arched an eyebrow curiously as he glanced around the room. His eyes finally landed on Azazel, who briefly glanced back at him through the corner of her eye, her long dark burgundy hair framing her face and falling over her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep forest green, calming and knowing. Cain smirked at her before raising a hand. Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Yes, Mr. Roman? Care to share something about your partner? I believe you were paired with Miss Zeela Yein, yes?" Cain stood and nodded.

"Yes sir. My partner was Azazel Zeela Yein."

"Very well, my boy. Something you learned about Miss Zeela Yein?"

"Well," Cain began, his charming grin pulling at the edges of his finely shaped lips as he looked back down at her, "aside from her marvelous beauty in appearance"—Azazel widened her eyes and her hair color immediately shifted to a bright shade of pink, which clearly exposed her embarrassment—"Azazel's knowledge is just as beautiful. She is a very intelligent girl with an extraordinary gift, although many of us know that." He was indicating her ability to shift the color of her hair and eyes. "She is also fascinated by the defense against Dark Arts, and also loves reading about Dark creatures. She must be quite marvelous in Care of Magical Creatures, I would presume."

Professor Slughorn chuckled and Azazel slouched in her chair, her eyes still wide with shock and hair still bright bubblegum pink. Her hands were clenched in fists underneath the desk as Cain's expression remained calm and nonchalant.

"Splendid, Cain, my boy. This was exactly what I had hoped would happen. You've grown quite fond of Miss Zeela Yein, haven't you, Mr. Roman?"

"Yes sir, in a sense," Cain replied with a nod. Slughorn chuckled again.

"Very good. You may sit down. Thank you, Mr. Roman." Cain nodded again before sitting in his seat. Aislinn was peering at him with curiosity, and Thai had turned in his chair, his face plastered with disgust. Cain smirked at him, which made Thai's eyes widen before glaring, and then turned around to face the front, arms crossed over his thin torso. Whispers fluttered about the room, recapping every word Cain had announced. The girls spoke with poisonous jealousy and the boys with curiosity. Cain looked across the aisle back at Azazel. Alixxis Randelle, sitting next to her, gave her a nudge and pointed her in the direction of Cain. He saw her eyes shyly glimpse his way and looked back down at the table. Cain was surprised. He'd never seen Azazel shy before.

"Well, since everyone appeared to work so well with the partners, as all of you did so finely on your potions, I've decided to make these partner pairings permanent for the rest of the year. You won't be doing partner work for everything, but when an assignment that calls for a duo, you will assume the position with your partner and work together. Also, a seating chart will be in order so it will be easier to work with your partner. Would everyone stand and join your partners? You and your partner may choose a desk to your liking, but only if you are sitting with your partner."

The class groaned at the sound of this and Slughorn insisted that they would enjoy working with their partners. Cain and Aislinn gathered their belongings and stood from their desks.

"Enjoy Potions with Kelgasus, Linn," Cain said as he bid her farewell. Aislinn smiled softly before turning her gaze to the tall and lanky pallid boy, his curls being shaken out of his mismatching pale eyes as he stood in the far corner of the room. Cain watched her like an overprotective parent, eyeing Linketh Kelgasus as she approached him. Linketh caught his eye, glared so viciously that if looks could kill, Cain would be dead. Cain arched an eyebrow with curiosity before turning to search for his own partner. He found her now darkened pink head amongst the crowds of black and marched toward her.

"Miss Zeela Yein," he announced proudly. Azazel looked up at him and pursed her full lips, eyebrows narrowing.

"What the bloody hell was that speech about, anyway?" she hissed softly, clutching her books tightly against her chest.

"I was merely answering Slughorn's question is all," Cain replied innocently.

"That was undoubtfully embarrassing," she snapped. "Besides, you didn't have to _lie_ about how you felt about me either." Cain's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, his sparkling chestnut eyes wide.

_"Lie?"_ he repeated in shock. "I wasn't lying about anything. You're smart, you're beautiful, and you're talented. Anyone could see that."

Azazel's eyes narrowed further as the shade of her hair lightened, expressing how much Cain was embarrassing her.

"Well you didn't have to announce it to the entire class. _They_ might think you were lying," she muttered, looking down at the floor. Cain smirked at her and tilted her chin upward with the crook of his forefinger.

"And since when does the admirably strong Azazel care about what others think?" he murmured as he closed the distance between them to mere centimeters, his long eyelashes almost brushing against her forehead. He noticed her now bright blue eyes widen at his closeness and she shuddered. Azazel pushed him away.

"Could we just find our seats, please?" she said quickly and pushed passed him, walking quickly to an empty table.

Cain stood where he was for a while longer before following Azazel. He found it rather entertaining to watch her, whatever she was doing, whether it be reading, or walking away, or even listening attentively to her teachers' speaking. He wasn't sure why he found it so entertaining, though. He loved Aislinn as a dear friend, but she wasn't as fun to watch as Azazel. Cain couldn't understand why he felt so drawn to her.

His thoughts immediately drifted back to Saturday evening, when he and Aislinn had run into Thai and Azazel, and thus the arguments began. Thai had accused Azazel of fancying Cain, but had he only said it because he knew it would upset her? As Cain sat down next to Azazel, he stared at her profile again, her full lips in a slight pout as she rested her chin on the edge of her palm, her expression deep in thought. What could feelings for Azazel even feel like? Remus Lupin had told him that he would know if he had fallen in love, but Cain bloody well _didn't_ know! He trusted his friend, but his obsession for falling in love only maximized. He wanted the experience. He wanted to feel _human_.

"Right. Now that we're all seated with our permanent partners, I'd like to discuss the new project we will be working on. It is, indeed, a partner project, but it won't be anything extraordinarily large like the potion-making final. You and your partner will choose a potion and write a report that will be orally presented in front of the class. The report must be at least five minutes long, but both partners must speak. This will be due two weeks from now.

"Now that that is out of the way, please take out your textbooks and a piece of parchment. We will be entering the wonderful world of antidotes …" Slughorn trailed on and Cain half-listened to his lecture. The other half of his mind was wandering the mysterious and undiscovered world of falling in love and wished for nothing more than for it to happen to him, and soon. He was sick of being a blood-thirsty demon and longed to be just like his schoolmates; to be human.


	20. Chapter Nineteen, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

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**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


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_**CHAPTER NINETEEN  
CAIN

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**

The library was buzzing with murmurs from Slughorn's students during lunch hour that same day, and Madam Pince was trotting left and right telling everyone to be quiet.

Cain and Azazel sat in between an aisle of old, thick, leather-bound books, away from the murmurs to maintain their peace and quiet. Cain noticed Azazel was still acting shyly because of his comments back in Potions class a couple hours back, but Cain merely found this amusing, as he did everything she did.

"I figured we shouldn't do our report on the Wolfsbane potion. I'm kind of tired researching that potion," said Azazel, casually turning the frailly thin pages of the large book in front of her.

"Why would we research it again? I've memorized everything we read, after reading it so many times, after all," chuckled Cain. "It'd make things so much easier for this project, but I most certainly understand if you're up for a challenge." Azazel scoffed.

"I guess you're right, but I think Slughorn would be disappointed if we chose to do our oral report on the potion we did our final on. Not nearly as exciting for him, and we probably wouldn't get a good mark," she mentioned.

"Very good point, my dear," Cain chimed with a wide grin. "I told you you were clever." Azazel rolled her eyes.

"Oh shut it, why don't you? Look through that bloody book for a potion for us. I'm not finding anything interesting in here." She sighed heavily and slammed the heavy book shut. Cain had barely opened his book, not even looking down at it, when he perched his chin on top of his entwined hands, smirking at her.

"How about Amortentia?" he mused. Azazel's face twisted with disgust.

"A _love potion_? Absolutely not. It's a pity potion—a pathetic potion," she spat. Cain's features did not falter.

"Do you say that out of defense? Have you ever meddled with Amortentia before?" he inquired.

_"No,"_ she blurted defensively. "I wouldn't stoop so low as to meddle with the likes of Amortentia. I'd have no need to. I just simply believe it is a complete waste of time to sit and wait for a brew that will grant interest in the brewer's person of choice. It is a false potion. Many girls like to believe it is true love—Bah! True love my arse. What kind of true love is _manmade?_"

Cain's gaze lingered on Azazel as she ranted, much enjoying her complaints and protests against the potion. He'd wanted to study the potion some more, just because it was remotely close to the real thing. Azazel was absolutely right in Amortentia being a _false_ potion. It was a fake, merely a mimic of actual true love. He, of course, had yet to experience actual true love.

"You must know a lot about true love then, Azazel," Cain mentioned. "Do you happen to be in love at the moment?"

Azazel was taken aback, her features contorting with confusion, but Cain merely smiled, curious about her answer. Since Azazel had such strong feelings against the love potion, was it safe to assume that she believed in experiencing only real love? Cain thought her an excellent teacher to help him find love himself.

"Um … I beg your pardon?" Azazel stammered, blinking profusely. Cain's smile faltered not.

"You've got such strong opinions against the Amortentia potion. You believe that true love must be created—let's say—from the heart, rather than a cauldron, do you not? Are you in love at the moment?" he repeated. Azazel was stunned, but refused to answer. Cain's smirk widened. Her lack of response told him that she did indeed have deep feelings for a certain someone.

"What does it feel like?" he asked softly, leaning in on the table, his chin still perched on his hands. "How did you know you were in love?"

"I never said I was in love," Azazel snapped defensively.

"But you never said you _weren't_ in love, either," Cain pointed out. Azazel pursed her lips and narrowed her eyebrows, her hair shifting a deep purple. "You don't have to tell me who you're in love with," he added. "I just want to know what it feels like."

"You don't know?" she blurted. "But everybody is in love with _you_." Cain chuckled.

"Yes, your annoying little Hetzen already mentioned that. And, just as I've told him, _I_ haven't fallen in love with any of them. I have no love stories to share from past relationships because I've had none." Azazel stared at him in disbelief. Cain arched an eyebrow. Did everybody think he'd been in many relationships?

"You've … you've really never been in love? You don't know anything about it?" she asked. Cain shook his head.

"Never. However, quite the contrary, I've been studying couples throughout my years here at Hogwarts." Azazel knitted her eyebrows together.

"Well, that's a bit … interesting," she muttered. Cain chuckled.

"Yes, I understand that it may sound a bit odd, but it helps," he said. "The only part I'm missing is the experience."

"You want to fall in love so desperately?" Azazel inquired. "But … _why_?" Cain knitted his eyebrows together in puzzlement.

"Why not?"

"Well, I mean … with the risk of getting your heart broken and going through the annoying pain of it, it wouldn't sound so appealing to me," Azazel explained.

"I've heard of the heart break and pain," Cain mused, grinning. "I long to know what it feels like."

_"What?"_

"Because the complete emotion of love is foreign to me," he continued as his eyes glimpsed away from her utterly confused face.

"You're so strange," she said bluntly, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms over her well-developed chest. "There's nobody else like you, I've noticed. I mean, you're so outgoing, yet I _know_ you keep lots of secrets locked up. I bet even Aislinn doesn't know much about you, other than being incredibly intelligent and otherworldly handsome."

Cain narrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean _secrets_?" he questioned. Azazel pursed her lips and gazed up the shelves of the ceiling-high bookcases. She shrugged.

"Secrets as in _secrets_. Can't get any blunter than that, mate," she said, flashing her dark eyes at him. "You're hiding things about yourself. You're a mystery, Cain. There's just … _something_ about you that separates you from everyone else I've ever met. Something …" She bit back on her words and sealed her lips shut. Cain eyed her firmly, arching an eyebrow with suspicion. Now _Azazel_ was finding him suspicious? He was surprised at himself for not knowing better. Azazel Zeela Yein was best friends with the imbecilic Ravenclaw he shared a dorm with, Thai Hetzen, and Cain knew fully well how Thai was nearing a solution to discovering Cain's true identity.

But now that he knew _Azazel_ was in on the investigation as well, he felt his heart beat faster against his chest, actually nervous and afraid for an outing.

"I think you've been spending too much time around your little Ravenclaw friend," Cain teased, finally forcing a small smirk to tug at his lips. However, just like everybody else, she could not tell that it was forced, but found it rather natural. Azazel rolled her eyes. "I've taken a glimpse at some notes he's taken of me. Apparently I'm unnatural, inhumane, and a monster." He bellowed a melodic laughter before leaning back in his chair and draping an arm over the back of it casually. He crossed his legs to appear calm and amused, rather than his true feelings.

_Nobody is going to find out, _he assured himself mentally. _Not Azazel, and not her simpleton of a friend._

"Thai over exaggerates quite often, as you very well know," she mentioned. "Monster is just downright ridiculous, even you know that. But unnatural and inhumane … you hold a certain persona that attains to those adjectives, I'll give him that."

Cain's eyebrows narrowed briefly at her accusations. Feeling fed up, he mentally made note that Azazel was no longer safe to be around. Not only did he have to prove Thai wrong, but her as well.

_Pity,_ he thought. _I was really beginning to like her. She is such a bright and intelligent girl, even for a human_.

The sultry smirk he constantly produced spread across lips once more. "But isn't unnatural and inhumane some definitions for a monster?" he questioned.

"Perhaps to young girls who have had their hearts broken by you, as you seem to show no affection towards anybody here. That might be a problem with your love investigation. How can you love someone without showing any affection?"

"Affection?" Cain repeated. "Such as an embrace? A caress? A _kiss_?" He sat upright and lifted himself from his seat, slowly leaning across the table and inching further towards Azazel's face. He could read the shock that spread across her face as her cheeks reddened and her hair shifted to her embarrassed color.

"Why are you doing this again?" she whispered, trying to maintain her firmness, but Cain could hear the nervousness in her tone. His grin only widened as he caressed her cheek.

"Were you one of those young girls whose hearts were broken by me? Tell me, Azazel—I beg of you," he murmured. "Were you in love with me?"

He watched as her eyes widened, and he combed a lock of pink hair out of her naturally pale face.

"There's something about _you_ that I find extraordinary as well," he continued, brushing more hair from her face, stroking his fingers through it. Azazel remained frozen as his breath softly smothered her face. "Like I said, I've never fallen in love, but being with you … my feelings describe what it is to be in love. However, how do I know I'm not just making this up? What if my mind is playing tricks on me, producing farce beliefs into my brain? Tell me, Azazel. You seem to be such an expert."

Her breath was caught in her throat and she opened her jaw, but nothing came out. Cain waited patiently for her response, smiling widely.

"You don't," she choked out. "You don't … know … if your mind is playing tricks on you or not. You could very well be imagining it. That's one of the many annoyances about it." She looked down briefly before meeting his eyes again. "But if you believe you're in love, then you very well could be," she added softly. "You'll know when you feel it."

"Feel _what_, Azazel?" Cain whispered. He heard her swallow and smiled wider.

"When you feel that irritating, fluttery feeling when you're near that person. They make you nervous, but you want to stand with them forever. When they're close, you want to both leave and stay with them. When you're in love, you don't know what you're feeling. Everything is completely deranged and you've got no control over your emotions anymore. And you fear heartbreak, but you know it will come sooner or later, preferabley later, because you know it will be unbearable, but you were stupid enough fall in love in the first place."

"How do you know all of this?" Cain whispered after a short moment of silence after Azazel's explanation. Her eyes had shut and she was inhaling heavily, but he gazed at her with nothing but an amused smile. She sighed heavily once more before meeting his eyes again.

"Because … because I _was_ one of those idiotic girls who had their hearts broken by you, but I kept strong by denying it even happened. I know all of this because, just like Thai constantly says, I _do_ fancy you. _I'm_ in love with _you_, Cain Roman."


	21. Chapter Twenty, Azazel

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

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**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY  
AZAZEL

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**

Her footsteps echoed off of the vast stone walls of the corridor as Azazel walked alone towards the dungeons to her common room. The halls were darkening, and she withdrew her wand, muttering _"Lumos"_ to create a light for her. She approached the entrance to the Slytherin common room, but instead of hissing the password to the blank stone wall, she leaned against it, sighing heavily as her hair shifted from lavender to black, her eyes returning to her natural violet color from the deep emerald that had just been. Her hair length grew from it being shoulder length to barely tickling her elbows.

Her time in the library with Cain repeatedly replayed over and over in her mind, how she had confessed her long love for him since first year. It was the fact that he was so different, so mysterious, so oddly perfect that she found him so appealing. Azazel always managed to keep her attraction for him under cover, not even confiding in Alixxis or Thai, despite how Thai always suspected her of fancying him.

Her eyelids fell over her eyes, shielding them from the dim blue light emanating from the tip of her wand. Casting it away, she muttered the spell to get rid of the light and dropped her slick black wand into the deep pocket of her robes.

Cain had been shocked when Azazel had admitted to loving him, but she couldn't tell if he had been disgusted or intrigued. He had closed his book and stood from the desk, Azazel's hair a shocking pink, her face growing hotter and redder by the minute. She had immediately regretted blurting out something so outrageous, hating the feeling of sounding so weak and sappy. Azazel had watched Cain bid her farewell with a large smile and walk out of the library, feeling exactly the way she did not want to feel as he left. Her gut twisted to a most annoying extent, and her voice caught in her throat. It was the feeling of embarrassment.

She sighed heavily again before turning and murmuring the password. Immediately, the stone wall began to form an entranceway for her to pass, closing as soon as she walked through. The Slytherin common room wasn't as crowded as it normally was during that time of evening—Azazel had missed the after-dinner rush. The moment Azazel had walked into the room, Alixxis had coincidentally entered the common room from their shared dormitory. She had changed out of her Slytherin robes and donned a loose off-the-shoulder black t-shirt dress with a pair of leggings underneath, her feet stuffed in a pair of ballet flats. Her long hair was pulled back into a French braid that ended near the middle of her back.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, rushing towards Azazel. "I was beginning to wonder where you were going after dinner. The lot of us just assumed you were going back to the library to study, but you were away for ages."

"I was in the library," Azazel admitted. Alixxis peered at her hair color before drifting back to her eyes, arching an eyebrow and producing a small smirk.

"Been thinking a lot, have you?" she said, combing her long fingers through Azazel's hair, twirling a strand. "Your color has jumped all over the place, and now you've settled on your natural colors."

Azazel silently shrugged and walked towards her dorm room. "I'm going to change. It's been a long day."

"I'll say," Alixxis groaned as she trailed after her. "Being paired up _again_ with that imbecile, Hetzen, has really driven me mad. I'm ready to pull his hair out."

"You're lucky to have gotten Thai as a partner again. You know how smart he is. And, knowing you, he probably put more effort into your potion exam than you did," Azazel accused. Alixxis glared and rolled her eyes.

"Potions isn't my strong subject. We would have failed if I did any work. Anyway, it's easy for you to say; I heard your potion came out even greater than Snape's. With Cain on your team, and your brilliance with potions, you probably exceeded far greater than an O."

"I'm good at potions, and Roman's good at them too. At least I didn't have to let him do all of the work for us to get a good grade," Azazel remarked. Alixxis scoffed.

"So, in my defense, I could say I helped plenty for my team. I didn't cause us to fail. I just can't wait to study vampires in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I won't need to rely on anyone to assure a pass on that exam." Azazel sighed and rolled her eyes as she walked through their dormitory and dropped her bag on her four-poster bed.

"You haven't been 'visiting' your vampire friends, have you Alixxis?" she asked as she pulled off her robes and reached for the oversized wizard rock band shirt she slept in, and her own pair of leggings.

"Of _course_. I've been studying them on my own time, mostly at night, though, so I can see them awake. They sleep during the day, you see. There's this cave deep in the forest where they reside. It's really quite fascinating. I'd bring you along, but you'd probably chicken out," Alixxis teased. Azazel sighed as she slipped out of her Hogwarts uniform and into her comfortable clothing, Alixxis leaning against a post of her bed with her arms crossed over her well-developed chest.

"Whatever you say, Alixxis."

"You would say they're fascinating as well," Alixxis continued as Azazel sat on her bed, pulling all of her long hair over one shoulder. "They're so beautiful, and very intelligent. They know I watch them, you know. However, I'm not at all sure as to why I haven't been eaten yet." Alixxis pondered for a moment, gazing past Azazel's face.

"So you continue to go into the forest to test your survival around them," Azazel sighed.

"I'm plenty capable of maneuvering in the forest. It's lovely in there. So much freedom, so much space. I grow tired of these stone walls. The trees are far more appealing," Alixxis explained. "And besides, at least _I'm_ not afraid to take any risks."

"Well I'm not either," spat Azazel defensively. "I just so happen like to _think_ before doing anything. I consider consequences before acting upon anything."

"That still makes you _bo-ring_," Alixxis sang.

"How do you call a Metamorphmagus boring? I could make myself look like anyone I wanted to, anything I wanted to, any_time_ I wanted to."

"Then perhaps you could disguise yourself as a vampire and come venture out into the forest with me to study them. But, of course there is the scent issue you'd have to worry about."

"If they don't harm you, what makes you think they're going to harm me? And why would I need to disguise myself as a vampire. You don't use disguises," said Azazel.

"They've grown used to me," Alixxis said, waving her off. "But you, you're fresh meat. They'd love to feast on something new. They're quite ravage, the vampires. It's_ amazing_ watching them feed—"

"You've _watched_ them _feed_?" exclaimed Azazel, interrupting her.

"—and they're so intelligent, like I said," Alixxis continued, ignoring Azazel's exclamation. "They talk so maturely, despite their living conditions. And—oh Azazel—_all_ of them are so incredibly handsome, it's ridiculous. They're _beautiful_, even the oldest one. They all have long hair and only wear trousers. Each one is fit and pale, and they all have the deepest black eyes I have ever seen."

"Okay, Alixxis. I think you've been spending too much time in the forest," Azazel said.

"I'm serious, Zel! They're so handsome—think _Cain Roman_ handsome," Alixxis said. Azazel's eyebrows knitted together as she pursed her lips.

However, slowly, her violet eyes began to widen, and her lips parted slightly.

Intelligent—Beautiful—

Pale—Remarkably fit—

"They're so _perfect_,"Alixxis exclaimed excitedly.

_They're so _perfect.

Azazel's breath caught in her throat.

All the years she and Thai had spent trying to discover the peculiar oddness about Cain Roman, the mysteries of why he was so smart, or how he could be so otherworldly handsome, or what made him so perfect … everything was now stringing together.

Alixxis said the vampires were incredibly smart and so otherworldly handsome … so handsome, it was ridiculous, she'd said.

Cain was the exact same way. His pallid body and remarkable features—those gleaming chestnut eyes and flawless black hair, his finely molded lips, his high cheekbones …

But he was a wizard, so it couldn't be true. He was a pureblood, he'd said it himself.

But it could have been a lie. And Alixxis had said it herself that the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks had wrongly described the vampire race. What if they were capable of learning magic?

"Azazel?" Alixxis's voice faintly rang through Azazel's mind, but it wasn't strong enough to pull her from her newfound realization. "Azazel, what's wrong? What's happening?"

Could her suspicion be correct? Could his perfection, his handsomeness, his intelligence, and his peculiarity all be because of one reason?

The answer satisfied herself. It had to be true. Cain was never outside during the sunlight. He'd never taken one class of Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology. Never. And it was because he _couldn't_ be out in the sun.

Azazel couldn't believe she'd finally found the answer she and Thai had been searching for for ages.

Cain Roman was not human. He was not the pureblood wizard he claimed to be.

Cain Roman was a vampire.


	22. Chapter Twenty One, Thai & Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  
THAI  


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**

"Thai!" Azazel exclaimed, running after him as Thai walked into Great Hall. He turned, watching her petite form scurry after him, her long hair matte black and her eyes big and violet. Thai knitted his eyebrows together. Azazel was rarely this active, so he knew something was important.

"What is it?" he asked. She approached him and stopped to catch her breath. She looked around them before reaching up for his ear.

"It's about Cain."

Thai tore away from her, looking at her sternly. "Has he professed his love for you?" he snarled. Azazel glared.

"No," she snapped. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I've found the answer to what we've been searching for."

Thai's eyes widened. Did Azazel really know about Cain's true identity? After taunting him for years, claiming he would figure him out, Thai was going to hear what Cain really was. Why was he so weird? Why was he so perfect? Why was everybody in love with him?

Azazel leaned back and took a deep breath, combing a lock of hair out of her face. Thai's heart beat against his ribs. Finally. Finally, finally, _finally_ Thai's investigation was going to come to an end.

"Cain's … he's a …_ vampire_," Azazel said in the softest whisper she could manage. Thai's eyebrows knitted together.

"But … vampires can't learn magic," he said. "And … they sleep during the day, don't they? I … I don't understand …"

"What do you mean you don't understand? Apparently his entire being adds up to a vampire's."

"A vampire … I don't know, are you _sure_?" asked Thai.

"Thai, I'm _positive_, at least I believe he is, but I've got a hunch that I'm right."

Suddenly, Cain Roman himself rounded the corner, hands stuffed into the pockets of his slacks, his sleeves of sweater rolled up to his elbows, exposing finely defined forearms. His Ravenclaw tie was tight and tucked, his hair flawlessly combed and glossy, and his sweater molded against his chest. He passed the investigating duo, eyeing them carefully with sparkling chestnut eyes. His eyes lingered on Thai with suspicion, and then drifted to Azazel, which made Thai's stomach twist.

"Good morning, Azazel," he chimed melodically, smiling widely at her before walking inside. Thai looked down at Azazel to her smiling right back at him.

"What the bloody hell's going on?" he snarled. "I always knew you fancied him. And now that you think he's a vampire, it still hasn't changed your feelings for him, has it?"

Azazel's smile disappeared and she glared sharply at him. "I just can't tell you anything now, can I? You just don't understand. If you confront Cain about this vampire business, I'll make sure you remain miserable for the rest of your life, Hetzen," she hissed before turning on her heel and following Cain inside, storming towards her House table to sit with her friends. Thai growled and ran a hand through his curly tangles. He wasn't worried about Azazel's anger with him. She'd get over it. He mulled over the thought of Cain being a vampire in his mind. Were vampires flawlessly handsome, remarkably intelligent, and otherworldly perfect? It just didn't make sense to him. The vampires he'd studied from the textbooks slept during the day and didn't use magic, yet Cain walked about while the sun was up and studied and performed magic like any other wizard. Could Azazel have been right about the textbooks being wrong about them? And, if so, how did she know about this to begin with?

Sighing heavily, Thai shook his head, his curly locks falling about his pallid face, and stormed inside the Great Hall himself, sporting his usual glare at Cain, but actually studying whether he'd fit the vampire label or not.

* * *

**LINKETH**

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**

Linketh wanted nothing more than to leave the Great Hall and return to his dorm room to bathe in the darkness, but he sat in his seat, his mismatching pale green and blue eyes glued to the Ravenclaw table. Aislinn was sitting with Cain on one side, chatting animatedly with him and giggling every so often to what he said, like the joyous and happy girl she appeared to be, so full of light and purity. Her long, bleach blonde hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail, side-swept bangs falling over her forehead. Her eyes were wide and lively, their icy blue color flecking with grey and sparkling from the candlelight overhead.

However, surprisingly, Aislinn chatting with Cain was not what was causing Linketh's blood to curdle, although it did contribute. On Aislinn's other side was a student who was not a member of the Ravenclaw House. His scarlet and gold colors clashed with the azure and silver of the table, but he was welcomed nonetheless.

Remus Lupin gazed lovingly at his girlfriend, his brunette hair attempting to be tamed but failing, and his eyes smiling and warm. Linketh's eyes burned at the sight of the two of them together, but he refused to admit to the unwelcome feelings he held for Aislinn Blair. However, Linketh wanted nothing more than to cast Remus Lupin out of existence. He hated the affection he displayed for her, and how everyone simply adored the two of them together. There was nothing special about that pair. If anything, it was revolting. But, the both of _them_ were revolting, so perhaps they deserved each other.

Linketh's conscience screamed in protest at the thought of any negative emotion towards Aislinn. It was as if his psyche wanted him to fall in love with her. But to him, the idea of love was disgusting and pathetic. He didn't want to reduce himself to something so low. As Remus began to murmur sweet nothings in Aislinn's ear, stroking his fingers delicately along the rim of her cartilage, Linketh managed to tear his eyes away from the painful scene. His eyes dropped to the empty silverware in front of him. He had no desire to fill his plate with the delicious dishes that were displayed before him. After watching the sickening pair, Linketh's appetite was lost.

"Azazel, ever since I mentioned how Cain Roman's looks summed up the beauty of the vampires you've done nothing but act strange." Alixxis' voice cut through Linketh's thoughts and disturbed him with her senseless babble. "Not that I don't like it, because I quite do, but your hair color hasn't shifted at all. It's stayed black for the past twenty-four hours. What on earth are you thinking about?"

"I'm _fine_, Alixxis," Azazel insisted. "Is it suddenly a crime to engage in thought?"

"But you're _staring_ at Cain. You've never been one to swoon," she said.

"I am _not_ swooning, Randelle," Azazel hissed, and Linketh rolled his eyes. He'd decided that he would have been much better off leaving the Great Hall well over ten minutes ago than sitting here torturing himself with Remus' close proximity to Aislinn, and then listening to Alixxis Randelle's and Azazel Zeela Yein's annoying bickers. He slammed his palms on the table and stood.

"Angry much, Kelgasus?" Severus Snape sneered with an eye roll. Linketh seethed at him, baring his teeth and glaring fiercly. Alixxis rolled her eyes and waved him off.

"He's just being Linketh," she said nonchalantly before engaging herself into her previous conversation with Azazel. Linketh glared at her before storming out of the Great Hall, his combat boots making thudding echoes from off of the walls. And even though breakfast was almost finished, Linketh decided to storm back down to the Slytherin common room. At least it would be empty and quiet, quite like he preferred it. So he'd miss his first class, Charms, and perhaps his second class, History of Magic, but he didn't care. After all, Linketh skipped class many times, yet he was still here.

As he stormed down the hallway (passing Mr. Filch and receiving nasty, scolding looks to make him return back to the Great Hall), the burning images of Aislinn giggling alongside Remus reappeared in his thoughts, and he couldn't get rid of them. Linketh growled and pressed his palms to his forehead, running his spindly fingers through his whitish-blonde tangles. He refused to admit he held feelings for Aislinn. He refused to admit that he was, in actuality, _jealous_ of Remus for being with Aislinn. Linketh knew Aislinn was beautiful, he knew she was kind and smart and gentle and that she was the purest thing he'd ever set eyes on, but to hold any remotely affectionate emotion towards her was out of the question.

However, just because he refused to believe it, didn't mean he knew it was true. Linketh knew for a fact that the weird sensations stirring inside of him were because he thought of Aislinn's smile or her eyes, because of the proximity of her body to his while they sat together in Potions, because of the way she treated him kindly—despite his morbid appearance and cruel façade. Linketh knew—yet he refused to believe—that he was in love with Aislinn, but he just didn't know what to do about it.


	23. Chapter Twenty Two, Azazel

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO  
AZAZEL

* * *

**

Azazel could not stop pondering about Cain's possible secret identity. She tried not to make it so obvious that she was staring at him, so she merely glimpsed at him through the corner of her eye, but most of the time, Cain would catch her gaze, and then smile at her, causing her to blush.  
"Alright, everybody," announced Professor Slughorn, clapping his hands together. "Gather round here. These are a couple of antidotes you will be remaking during the remainder of the class. The one who makes the most accurate antidotes is guaranteed no homework for two weeks!"

Immediately, the table Professor Slughorn stood behind was swarmed with eager Ravenclaw and Slytherin students. Cain lingered behind as Azazel stood from her seat. She eyed him warily.

"Let's go," he urged with a smile, extending his hand. Azazel's eyebrows knitted together. Was he mocking her because she had embarrassingly admitted her love to him? But she'd mulled the thought over in her mind before. Cain was a gentleman. He was only discourteous when others were rude to him, but even then he was never highly impolite. So perhaps he wasn't mocking her, and perhaps he hadn't been disgusted when she'd said she'd loved him. It was so … un-Cain-like.

She nodded and stood, hesitantly taking his hand. Her eyes were so focused on Cain's handsome smile that she didn't notice the deathly glare Thai gave her from across the room.

They stood together as Professor Slughorn reviewed the antidotes, and, afterwards, excused them to work on remaking them for him. The students scrambled for supplies, lighting their cauldrons until they bubbled to begin adding to the concoction. Azazel noticed the envious stares from the girls surrounding her and Cain, and even those from across the room. She sighed heavily, and Cain turned his head to her, his expression inquisitive.

"Azazel? What is it?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Nothing. Just the airheads glaring at me for merely sitting next to you," she said, shooting them her own look of distaste. "I should be used to it now. After all, I've been partners with you for a while now."

However, she couldn't help but glare more fiercely at the girls than she normally did. She wondered if it was because the jealous bug was biting at her nerves, causing a somewhat overprotectiveness of Cain.

She scolded herself. It was that exact reason that she held her feelings for Cain deep within her, so she wouldn't be overcome by jealousy. By telling him her feelings, she knew she'd opened up doors that could never be closed again; most of them she wished had never been opened in the first place.

Cain smiled widely at her and grasped her hand. His touch made chills travel down her spine, the warmth of his skin both soothing and unnerving. Azazel found herself so transfixed on his smile, those perfect lips pulling at the edges and reaching his chestnut eyes, exposing a set of glossy white teeth.

"They aren't worth your time, Azazel," he murmured seductively. Azazel's heart raced. "Just ignore them." He then let go of her hand and returned to his own potion.

She stood there, almost paralyzed by his soft words, staring at his perfect profile. All that she had denied and strained to keep hidden from even herself was suddenly released and roaming free in her mind. She remembered how much she loved the warmth of his skin, the earthly scent emitting off of him, and the casualness of his persona. She loved how Thai's annoying remarks never fazed Cain, and that even though Thai was her best friend, Cain would always have something witty to say in return.

When her thoughts finally cleared of admiring Cain, she returned to her potion, but only briefly, for her thoughts then shifted to studying Cain and the vampirism. She thought about what Alixxis had told her, and then her discussion with Thai this morning just outside of the Great Hall. Alixxis had said that the vampires did sleep during the day, yet Cain _did_ walk about fully awake during those hours. As for the wielding magic bit that Thai had mentioned, Alixxis had told her that the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks had gotten their information wrong. Alixxis was the expert on vampires, aside from Cain of course, so she had to rely on her information rather than the texts.

"You're awfully inquisitive today," chuckled Cain, his eyes not leaving his cauldron. Azazel's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. With cheeks heated red, Azazel gulped and quickly refocused on her cauldron, although her mind was completely scattered by Cain's rude awakening that she had forgotten what she was doing.

"You place the tea leaves in next," Cain mentioned, again his eyes not leaving his work. Knitting her eyebrows at him, her hand hesitantly moved towards the small pile of tea leaves on her table. Cain arched an eyebrow, as if he were watching her through the corner of his eye. "Do you doubt me?"

"No," she whispered, much to her surprise. Cain smiled and it was the last they talked during the assignment. After Azazel had added her tea leaves, her mind quickly got back on track and she knew what came next in the potion.

Finally class had ended, and Azazel had successfully finished her antidotes. Professor Slughorn ordered his students to bring them forth so he could grade them and grant the best antidote maker no homework for two weeks. After Azazel brought her potions to Slughorn, she returned to her desk and began to stuff her things back into her bag. She noticed Cain beside her, doing the same.

"Everyone knows you're going to win," she told him. Cain's golden eyes drifted her way with curiosity. "What? It's the truth. Like I've said in the past, you're brilliant, and I know you know it."

Cain chuckled. "Well, you're quite intelligent too. Why don't you think your antidotes will win?"

"Because you're a far better potions-maker than I am," Azazel said, slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder. Cain sighed and shook his head.

"You should not doubt yourself, Azazel," he murmured. "You're better than you think." Azazel's eyes widened as he closed the distance in between them, a wide smile spreading across his lips as he combed a lock of pin-straight black hair behind her ear. Her breath caught in her throat, unable to breathe, unable to move. He began to lean in towards her, and her heart skipped a beat. Was he going to kiss her?

But his lips completely missed her own and drifted towards her ear, the one he'd combed the lock of hair behind, and whispered, "Meet me by the grinning gargoyle statue just around the corner in two minutes."

He leaned back, slung his own shoulder bag over his shoulder and winked at her before walking back towards Professor Slughorn, scraping through the clutter of students.

Azazel cocked her head slightly to the side, watching him go in curiosity. What could he possibly want with her by the grinning gargoyle? At least he hadn't kissed her, she thought. She didn't know how she would have reacted, especially because she was out in public. Azazel didn't care what others thought, but just the fact that it would have been _Cain Roman_, everyone's love interest, kissing _her_ after she'd just confessed her love for him … she wouldn't know how to control the publicity. She was so entranced in Cain's figure that she didn't see Thai storming up to her from the side.

"Okay Azazel. What the _bloody hell_ was Cain Roman doing all over you?" he snapped, not bothering with the tone of his voice. Azazel snapped out of her trancelike state and glided her gaze to meet his angry grey-blue diamond eyes.

"What?" she blurted.

"Roman was hovering over you, pressing his face against yours. What in the world was that about?"

"Cain Roman was _not_ hovering over me," Azazel snapped back in defense. "And he most certainly was _not_ pressing his _face_ against _mine_!"

"Are you mad?" Thai exclaimed. "He looked as if he was about to bloody kiss you, for crying out loud!"

"_You're_ the one that's going mad," she growled at him. "He _wasn't_ going to kiss me, so shut your mouth, Hetzen." Her amethyst orbs narrowed into slits as she turned on her heel and stormed out of the Potions classroom.

"Azazel!" Thai called after her. Azazel rolled her eyes and continued walking. "Azazel, you stop bloody walking right where you are!"

"Bugger off, prat!" Alixxis snapped from behind Azazel. She stopped in her tracks and turned her head, watching her fellow Slytherin scold her best friend. Her heart slightly sank because of the fact that Thai was her best friend and she was allowing her other friend to yell at him.

"Get out of the way, Randelle," snarled Thai. "Azazel is _my_ best friend. I'll talk to her if I want."

"Well right now she doesn't feel like talking to you, whether you're her best friend or not. So let her be," Alixxis growled.

"Alixxis, it's fine. Just drop it," Azazel finally said, shaking her head.

"He's bothering you," Alixxis said, turning her head back to Thai, "and he's acting like a bloody ex-boyfriend. I'm not going to let him annoy you more than he already does."

"Piss off!" Thai snarled.

"What's going on?" chimed Professor Slughorn, peering over Cain's shoulder.

"Drop it!" Azazel hissed. "Both of you!"

Alixxis rolled her eyes at Thai before stomping out of the classroom. Thai glared at her, knowing she was hiding something from him. Not only was his expression full of anger, but it was also contorted with hurt and disgust, and the expression actually stung her. He pushed past her, knocking shoulders with her, not meeting her eyes. Azazel bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyebrows as she watched him leave the classroom. She hadn't noticed the people around her watching the short scenario. She snarled at them and they either scurried away or glared back, but either way they left.

Sighing, Azazel looked back at Cain, he was still talking to Professor Slughorn, but his eyes more than often glanced back at her, as if he were waiting for her. She managed a smile, and Cain, quite excitedly, smiled right back. Professor Slughorn glanced over at her to see what Cain was smiling at. He chuckled and muttered something to Cain before clapping him on the shoulder. She knitted her eyebrows together and watched them briefly in curiosity before slowly turning on her heel and exiting the classroom.


	24. Chapter Twenty Three, Azazel & Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE  
AZAZEL

* * *

**

She wasn't waiting at the grinning gargoyle for long. She was crossing her arms, leaning against the tall pedestal the gargoyle stood on for perhaps five minutes before Cain had emerged for the dark hall. The bell had already rung through the corridors and Azazel made sure that she would be caught by the prefects walking about the halls.

"You've got no need to worry about prefects," Cain said when he approached her, as if he had read her mind. "They never cross this hall. I'm not certain as to why; however it does serve the perfect place for me to talk to you privately."

"Well then," Azazel said, "say it. What have you got to tell me?"

He leaned into her, pressing his forearm against the fat leg of the gargoyle just above her head, his other hand stuffed into the pocket of his slacks. Azazel's heart began to beat rapidly again, slamming violently against her ribs and sending vibrations down her body. Chills ran down her spine at the proximity of their bodies, the gap between them decreasing at a rapid rate. She held her breath as she stared up at him, begging herself not to fall into a swooning gaze at the sight of his immaculate features, his eyes narrowed and his lips pulled into a knowing smirk. Fringes of his matte black hair fell over his forehead, barely crossing his dark eyebrows.

"Do you remember, Azazel," he started, his voice just a murmur as his breath crashed into her face, "what you told me yesterday in the library, just before you told me you loved me?"

Again, her voice was being pulled back into her throat, not even able to choke out a single syllable. Her full lips parted slightly, but realizing she couldn't utter a word anyway, she slowly nodded. His presence, his closeness, and this very conversation was already making her nervous. She was losing her calm and she was fearing she was about to become one of the airheaded swooners she strongly disliked.

"You told me what it was like to fall in love, how one would feel, what it would do to them," he said. "Am I right?"

Again she nodded. Her mind filtered with millions of questions and thoughts, it was practically giving her a headache.

"When you look at me, what do you feel? Do you feel that _irritating, fluttery feeling_? Do I make you nervous when I draw near you? Do you wish me away, yet long to stay by my side because I make you feel so uncontrollable?" he whispered. Azazel's eyes turned bright purple as they widened to the size of dinner plates, her jaw dropping even further. She couldn't believe she was really falling under his charm. After all of the years that she had kept collected, she was falling apart right underneath him. Was this what he wanted? To break the ever-strong Azazel Zeela Yein with his charms? Had confessing her love to him opened a weakness that Cain could penetrate whenever he so desired? It took a while for her to find her voice, but even before she answered him, she hesitated on what she should say, and whether she should say it or not. That one little word could change her entire façade, either for better or for worse.

_"Yes,"_ she whispered in an even softer tone, a tone barely audible. But Cain was mere inches from her face, so he for sure heard her answer. His grin only grew wider at her answer, and Azazel didn't know what that meant.

"Azazel, you are quite a fascinating girl, you know?" he said, leaning away from her. She exhaled, perhaps a little too much for her liking, and felt her shoulders slump. She hadn't realized how tense she had been with his body so close to hers. "You taught me many things, yesterday, and helped me realize and discover the one thing I truly sought."

"Love?" Azazel blurted out too quickly and too desperately. Cain chuckled as her cheeks flushed.

"Yes, my dear. _Love_." He tilted her chin up towards him, delicately holding the point with his thumb and forefinger. She gulped. "And, do you know what else you helped me discover?" His voice had dropped to that sultry whisper. "You helped me discover these feelings within me. All you did was just describe the odd stirrings that mingled within my body, and as I thought about it, I considered what you said. Azazel"—his smile had grown with excitement—"I'm in love. Finally—_finally_—I'm in love. After all of these years seeking it with a blind eye, I feel the strangeness that you described one would feel if they were ever to fall in love.

"But," he continued, "the most interesting part is _whom _I have fallen in love with." Azazel watched as his eyes scanned over her face, pulling her apart piece by piece, feeling naked under his gaze. Her heart literally skipped two beats as his excited smile gradually diminished, and thus took place a more serious and gentle expression. She knew his answer before he even murmured it to her.

"Azazel …" he whispered, leaning into her ear. "You've helped me realize that I've fallen in love with _you_."

* * *

**CAIN

* * *

**

He watched as her eyes widened with even more shock. He'd noticed how tense and nervous she'd become underneath him, especially when he drew his body close to hers, but her expression went beyond that. He could hear her heart beating rapidly, much too fast for him to count, and almost fearing that it would suddenly stop. She just stared at him, lavender eyes piercing his own, unsure of whether he was telling the truth or not—or perhaps fearing he was telling the truth. But he knew it was true. He loved her. His stomach churned while he was near her. He was immediately fascinating by her ability, by her appearance, by her personality the moment they'd met. And he wondered just how long his feelings had hid from him. How long had Cain been truly in love with Azazel? Just as he searched so longingly for it, it resided under his nose the entire time.

Azazel finally blinked numerous times and the size of her eyes returned to natural. She shook her head in disbelief.

"But … how … could _you_ love someone like _me_?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes now. He combed a lock of hair behind her ear and grinned.

"How could I not?" he murmured in return. "You're brilliant, you're beautiful, you're talented. Isn't that what every man wishes in a girl?"

"But, you're so _godly_," she said, "and I'm so …_ not_." He grasped her chin again just as soon as she began to bow her head.

"I am no god," he whispered in her face, their foreheads nearly touching. "I am anything _but_ that."

And as he began to remember what kind of creature he really was, he felt his heart drop as soon as he thought about Azazel. Did he really love her for her ability and appearance and brilliance? Was it really her witty and clever attitude that truly drew him to her? Or was it the delectable smell of her blood that he'd always lusted after, even when straining to maintain his bloodlust around the humans. It had been years since he'd been so bloodthirsty for humans. After living amongst them for seven years, he'd grown accustomed to their scent, and how it lingered on him and how he had to ignore it. He was playing the human role. Humans couldn't smell human blood, not when it was running inside their bodies. He had been good about hiding his enhanced abilities (within reason), therefore the human bloodlust grew less and less of an issue.

But now it was as if all of Cain's hard work had suddenly shattered. Azazel had always had a stronger blood scent than the rest of his classmates, even greater than Remus Lupin's werewolf stench, or Alixxis Randelle's lycan stink. As a human, Azazel's blood was what Cain would call his drug. He resisted the urge of merely getting high off of the scent. He struggled to maintain the lust. And now that he was admitting to his own love for her, he was wondering now if it was really her persona, or her blood.

Cain did not prefer being a vampire, so the fact that he was trying to decide whether it was her being or her blood that had always attracted him sickened him. It was awful to really have to think about something like that.

Azazel noticed his quietness. After all, he'd been the one who was speaking so suavely to her for the past ten minutes, and now he was suddenly silent? He heard her gulping again before she reached for his arm, tracing it down to the hand stuffed in his pocket.

"What should we do, then?" she asked softly, not meeting his eyes at first, for she was too busy studying his arm. Cain allowed her to take his hand, and, once their fingers intertwined, all thoughts of him lusting over her blood simply vanished. Her touch told him it was her being that he'd fallen in love with, not her wretched blood.

"What do people normally do at times like this?" he asked in all honesty. She smiled softly, bringing a smile to Cain's own lips.

"They do this," she said, and reached up to press her lips against his own.

And it was the single-most wonderful experience he'd ever gone through in his entire long life.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four, Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR  
LINKETH

* * *

**

"Linketh, my boy," Professor Slughorn called after his classroom was left empty. Linketh was the last of seventh years from last period's Potions class, taking his sweet time gathering his belongings and cleaning up his cauldron. He was in no hurry to get to Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class.

Linketh turned around, his gaunt face spread with no emotion, his bleach blonde curls falling over his visage, almost hiding his mismatching pale green and blue eyes. He watched Professor Slughorn trot towards him, his usual friendly smile gone from his cherubic face, his frown pulling his walrus down along with it.

"Though you should already be getting a move on to your next class, I wanted to talk to you," he began, crossing his beefy arms over his stout and round chest. Linketh always thought that Professor Slughorn resembled that of an extra-large beach ball dressed in vibrant velvet robes. "I am concerned about your lack of attendance to my class. I don't want to have to consistently dock points from our House, Mr. Kelgasus, but your truancy causes me to, regrettably. Is there a reason why you do not attend my class?"

Linketh stared at him with a dulled expression, his thin pale lips sealed shut. He wasn't about to tell him why he preferred skipping class. He wasn't about to tell him anything. Professor Slughorn anticipated his answer, and when he figured he wasn't going to get one, he sighed in defeat.

"You're an intelligent boy, Linketh. Your marks are impeccable, but if you keep this truancy up, you won't graduate. I want so much for you to be successful, Linketh. You're one of my brighter students. It would be such a shame if you didn't graduate with your learned magic. Please stop skipping class, son. You could do wonders in the real world."

After that, he sighed again and clapped a hand on Linketh's bony shoulder and instructed him to get to his next class as quickly as possible. Again, Linketh didn't mutter a word, but he thought about what Slughorn had told him. Linketh knew he was smart, and he knew it was wrong to skip class, but his desire to be at school had lessened. He was interested in Dark magic. He wondered what it would be like to be a Death Eater. Linketh loved nothing more than seeing someone struggle.

But as his thin lips turned into a twisted smile, his thoughts drifted to Aislinn and how she would feel about Linketh being a Death Eater. Aislinn was everything good and angelic put into one body. She was fair, gentle, and loving. She'd detest him, if not already, if he turned to the Dark Arts.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the classroom, his combat boots echoing off the walls.

He couldn't have Aislinn hate him. He longed for her feelings for him. He longed to feel those dainty hands press against his chest, against his cheeks, through his hair. He wanted her bright blue eyes to gaze into his mismatching ones with love, to feel the affection gaze Cain Roman received from every girl at Hogwarts. He imagined himself wrapping his arms around her miniscule waist, leaning down to press his face in her hair and absorb her scent. He could imagine her soft petal lips press against his throat, gently sucking on his Adam's apple, her fragile hands sneaking underneath his shirt …

Linketh paused in his step, frightened of the images he'd just produced with his imagination. There was no denying he was so desperately in love with Aislinn, but the fact that he was picturing such a scene, trying to imagine what her lips would feel like against his skin … it was too much. He'd never felt this way for anyone, nor did he think he ever would, and it scared him that he was thinking such thoughts about the delicate, angelic Ravenclaw girl.

He continued his walk down the corridor, passing through a desolate hall he normally walked through to get down to the Slytherin common room.

Yet, as he neared the grinning gargoyle statue, he heard a muffled moan, and he paused in his step. His heart pounded with curiosity as he wondered what could be causing this moan. It was either from pain, or from pleasure, and Linketh feared that it was the latter.

Curiosity took control of his body and he stepped forward, peering around the corner, only to witness to figures completely engaged in each other, snogging the other's face off, so he thought. As he focused on who the figures could be, he was shocked to see Cain Roman pressing his body against Azazel Zeela Yein's petite form, his arms wrapped hungrily around her waist while hers tangled around his neck, their lips moving quickly with each other.

Linketh quickly turned away and pressed his back against the stone wall, his face hot and beet red with embarrassment for witnessing something as such, especially after he'd just had images of himself and Aislinn in their exact positions.

He heard another lusty moan and his face grew even redder. This moan was longer, and _louder_.

_Oh bloody hell,_ he thought.

He didn't know what to do. He refused to go to class, but this was the only way to get to the Slytherin common room without getting caught by any prefects, teachers, or ghosts. Perhaps this was why Roman had chosen this area to suck face with Azazel, the prat.

_Perhaps they won't be long_, he thought with great hope.

But he was wrong. Cain's and Azazel's moans only grew louder and longer, pleading each other to never stop. Linketh groaned silently and rolled his eyes. This was _his_ secret corridor, and it wasn't open to any other couple to snog.

He sighed heavily, but, as soon as he did, the moaning suddenly stopped, and so did his heartbeat. Had he really sighed that loud? Had they heard him?

"Someone appears to be eavesdropping. I wasn't aware we were putting on a show," Cain's melodic voice murmured, however he was purposefully loud enough for Linketh to hear him.

"What are you talking about?" Azazel's voice snapped. "Somebody has been watching us?" Her tone was both angry and afraid, and he could only imagine her hair shifting to a fiery red. He decided he'd stayed long enough. It was stupid for him to even consider them leaving soon. He began to walk away, until Cain called his name.

"Leaving so soon, Linketh? Not pleased with our show?" Cain chimed smugly. Linketh gulped. The last thing he wanted was another taunt from Cain Roman. He'd known how to put Linketh in his place, how to embarrass him and make him feel like an insignificant worm. Nobody knew how to do that Linketh, because it was Linketh who always made others feel insecure.

Linketh quickly walked away, stuffing his hand into the pocket of his cloak, grasping his wand tightly. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hold of his shoulder, squeezing it tightly.

"What's the matter, Kelgasus? Afraid of a little kissing?" Cain taunted in a low whisper, his lips voicing next to his ear.

"Get off of me," snarled Linketh as he pulled out his wand, aiming it at Cain's chest. Cain's eyebrows rose with amusement.

"Ah, a little duel. So this is what you want?" Cain pulled out his own wand from the pocket of his black slacks, the slick dark wood moving aside Linketh's own black wand away from Cain's chest. "Very well."

"Cain, what is—Kelgasus? What's going on? Stop it!" Azazel suddenly appeared from behind the corner, dropping her belongings at the floor as she ran in between them, pushing them away from each other. Her hair was long and raven-colored, glistening in the torchlight from the walls.

Linketh snarled at Cain as he rose his wand to meet his face. "I was just about to hex your boyfriend into oblivion, Zeela Yein. You won't be making out in my corridor any longer."

"Is that what's got your wand in a knot?" Azazel scoffed. "Honestly, Kelgasus, go back to the common room where you can sulk and talk to yourself. We don't need this." Linketh's glaring gaze immediately shifted to her.

"What was that, Squib?" he snapped. Azazel widened her eyes as both her eye color and hair color shifted to a fiery red. Almost in a flash, she snatched Cain's wand from his hand and stunned Linketh, the hit knocking him off of his feet and skidding away on the floor.

"Call me Squib one more time, Kelgasus, and I'll make sure _you're_ hexed into bloody oblivion," she threatened. Linketh's gaze shifted from shocked to a glare as he helped himself up.

"Keep your mouth shut, Zeela Yein, or I'll make you eat those words," Linketh snarled.

"No, _you_ better keep your mouth shut," Cain intercepted, "because if you so much as _touch_ Azazel, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life." He walked up from behind Azazel, took back his wand, and then grabbed a hold of her waist, pulling her close to him. "You've got _no_ idea what I can do to you, Kelgasus. Keep it up and you'll be swimming in a pool of your own blood."

Linketh's blood curdled and he wished to stab Cain Roman right in the heart for threatening him, but he held back and fixed his bag over his shoulder again. Azazel was suddenly pretty brave to stand up to him. Last time he checked, her hair turned white whenever he so much as muttered a word. The coward. Now that she had Roman around her finger, she thought it okay to stand up to him now.

"I might just make you eat those words, Roman," Linketh hissed as he looked over his shoulder. "I'd watch out if I were you."

He walked away, turning his head slightly to watch Cain's expression, hoping he'd tremble in fear. Instead, Cain produced a large twisted grin and he tilted his head back, laughing like a madman.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five, Azazel & Thai

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE  
AZAZEL

* * *

**

The news of Azazel's and Cain's relationship spread quickly after Linketh had run into them. Who knew Linketh would gossip? Luckily the two of them didn't care about the entire school knowing about their relationship, but Azazel did fear for Thai's reaction. It was nothing short of what she expected, unfortunately.

He stopped talking to her, never looked at her, and refrained from even being near her. Inside, Azazel's heart broke, but she didn't show it. Instead, she treated him the same way. If he didn't want to respect her feelings for Cain, then so be it. She wasn't going to respect Thai in return.

Surprisingly enough, Thai didn't say anything to anyone about Cain being a vampire, and she wondered why. She appreciated him not telling anybody, but she was curious as to why he still kept it a secret, since the two were no longer friends.

She received many jealous and angry glares from most of the female students of the school, but Azazel merely rolled her eyes. Never had she thought girls would be glaring at _her_ in envy, let alone for the reason that she was dating Cain Roman. She figured it was some sort of justice; the swooning girls never stopped and she thought it was a good slap in the face that Cain had become _her_ boyfriend. They could no longer fawn and flirt with him in an attempt to win his heart.

Azazel stared at herself in the floor-length mirror, combing a strand of hair back into place. Tonight was the night of Slughorn's exclusive Christmas party he hosted every year, and since Cain was a member of the Slug Club, Azazel had been invited by her new partner to attend the party with him. She'd always scoffed at the club throughout her years, thinking how petty it was to have such an exclusive club based on qualities Slughorn liked in a person. She thought it ridiculous, but, then again, Azazel now realized that she'd thought so horribly about the club because she'd never been asked to become a member, not that she was one to follow the crowd, but she didn't like the feeling of being excluded by somebody else either. She preferred only to exclude herself from society.

But now that she was invited, she felt a sort of ecstatic shock travel through her veins as her stomach jumped with excitement. She'd finally get to see what was so great about these formal parties Slughorn hosted.

She smoothed the floor-length skirt of her slim-fitting corset dress of scarlet and black color. Her hair was a deep maroon that matched the scarlet of the dress and was done in a fancy up-do, side-swept bangs falling across her forehead. A string of black beads draped around her neck, and was wrapped multiple times around her throat in a choker-like fashion. Her bright emerald eyes were outlined in heavy eyeliner with flicks extending from the corners of her eyes, and her full lips were coated in a shiny red lipstick. The dramatic colors created a more pallid color to Azazel's face, much to her pleasure.

She sighed heavily and the door to her dorm room suddenly opened. Alixxis, in her casual dress of black stockings and an oversized wizard metal band, appeared behind her, smirking at her appearance.

"I've never seen you so dressed up before," she mused, crossing her arms and looking her up and down in the mirror. "You clean up nicely, Azazel."

Azazel glared and rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Alixxis."

"What? It was a compliment. You look great. Cain is going to drool all over you, which should be a first since he's so used to girls drooling all over him," she snickered. Again, Azazel rolled her eyes, but she met gazes with her reflection and thought about what Alixxis had said. Would Cain really like her in her dress? Would he "drool all over her?"

"You're ridiculous," she sighed and walked over to her bed where a lacey shawl was draped over the footboard of her four-poster, the heels of her vinyl five inch strappy stilettos echoing off the walls.

"Don't have too much fun without me," Alixxis said as she watched Azazel fix her shawl over her shoulders. Azazel couldn't help but pull her bright red lips into a warm smile.

"See you, Alixxis," she said and walked out of her room.

* * *

**THAI

* * *

**

Finding out that Azazel, his closest friend ever since he moved to England, was dating that wretched, monstrous Cain Roman broke Thai's heart to an immense extreme. He was so hurt that he refused to look at her. His thoughts were nothing but nasty and cruel, and he couldn't think about Aislinn to help him calm down because his rage was too great.

He stormed out of the Great Hall the night of the Christmas party. Those who weren't invited to the party had eaten dinner in the Hall. The Hall was empty of Cain and Azazel, as he knew both were attending Slughorn's party. Thai looked to one end of the Slytherin table and noticed that oddball Linketh Kelgasus sitting by himself, staring at his plate. His tall body was bent over, like a hunchback, and his wild white-blonde curls bounced in his face. To the other side of the table was his annoying Potions partner, Alixxis Randelle, chatting amongst some of her just as annoying Slytherin groupies, Severus Snape lingering around her.

Thai tore his eyes away from the table and focused on his food. He stabbed a piece of chicken and was about to stuff it into his mouth until his gaze wandered towards the end of his Ravenclaw table. Cuddling and whispering sweet nothings to each other were Aislinn Blair and his former friend, Remus Lupin. They were much too close to each other for Thai's liking and would have very much liked to just stand up and pry them apart with his bare hands. He couldn't stand seeing Aislinn with another boy, especially because he'd crushed on her for so many years, he just always denied it. But now that she had a boyfriend, his emotions were running off course. Thai hated that she had a boyfriend. He hated that she was no longer accessible.

Snarling at them, he turned back to his food and, after several minutes of just staring bitterly at his uneaten food, he stood from the table and stormed out of the Hall, buying many surprised and confused gazes from the students still eating, including Aislinn and Remus. But who cared about them anyway? Who cared about Remus, and who cared about Aislinn? She didn't care about him, so he saw no reason to care about her in return.

His nutmeg curls blew away from his face from the wind coming his way from walking so quickly. He was glaring, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. Usually he'd go hang out with Azazel and they'd laugh at the stupid things girls would do for Cain Roman, making fun of him in the process, but he couldn't do that now. Azazel had become one of the girls they used to constantly make fun of. What happened to his best friend, to his closest companion, to the girl he saw as his sister?

He rounded the corner, heading for the changing staircases, when he saw them and his stomach curled, his blood curdling.

Cain was dressed in the most handsome dress robes one could find, slim-fitting and molding his flawless figure perfectly. His black hair was combed back and his nutmeg eyes twinkled, and he spotted a small golden hoop pierced through the cartilage of one ear. Thai watched as Cain's perfect lips folded into a perfect smile as he glanced at Azazel, who was dressed so immaculately, Thai had a hard time believing that was indeed his Azazel Zeela Yein.

Her bodice was constricted into a tight corset dress, the long scarlet skirt brushing the floor. The black corset piece made her miniscule waist even smaller and her curves more curvaceous. Her bare shoulders were draped with a lacey Victorian shawl, and a string of black beads draped around her neck, the tips of the beads barely brushing her cleavage. He was shocked in the first place that Azazel would display any cleavage at all. Cain was brainwashing her, and as he pressed his lips to her forehead, brushing a strand of her scarlet hair out of her face, he withdrew his wand and started towards him. After all, Thai knew his secret now. He could out him in a millisecond.

"You foul, loathsome monster!" Thai shouted, pointing his wand at Cain. "Step away from her this instant. I can't stand this any longer!"

The couple turned to him, Azazel's face twisted with puzzlement, while Cain's lips turned into a twisted grin.

"Oh, here we go with the name-calling again, huh? Don't you have a life, Hetzen? And anyway, this corridor is off-limits to those not invited to the party," Cain sneered.

"I could give a rat's ass about that damned party. All I'm here for is you," Thai snarled. Cain was taken aback, a mocking smile on his face as he placed his hand over his chest.

"Oh, I'm touched!" he gasped. "Ickle Thaikins wants _me_. Sorry, love, but I'm already taken." Cain outstretched his arm and wrapped it around Azazel's waist, pulling her body close to his.

"Shut up!"

"Thai, what are you doing here? You need to leave," Azazel said firmly. "Put your wand away."

"You know why I'm here, Azazel, or have you forgotten because your _beloved_ has brainwashed you?" Thai sneered Cain before meeting Azazel's firm gaze again. "I'm here to _out_ him." He saw Azazel's eyes widened, but Cain's expression remained in an amused state.

_"Thai Hetzen!"_ she hissed, but Thai ignored her.

"I've read all about you, Cain, about your _kind_," he started and finally, to his satisfaction, Cain's eyes began to narrow. He grinned with triumph. "I know your weaknesses, I know _what you are_."

"Thai, stop it," Azazel demanded.

"No, no. Let him continue," Cain intercepted as he dug his hand into the pocket of his robes. "Let's hear what he has to say, because, after all these years of taunting me and trying to scare me, of trying to figure out why I'm so much better than him, he's finally got an answer."

"Yeah, and thanks to Azazel, I finally know what you are." Azazel's eyes widened. "Don't try and hide it, Azazel. We've been on this investigation together for years, since first years, really. You're existence proves to us that the textbooks about your race are wrong … _vampire_." Thai watched as Cain's forehead creased, his eyes narrowing and growing darker.

"You think I'm a vampire?" Cain asked softly.

"Get away from him, Azazel! Even after you found out what he was, you chose to be with a monster like him? He's lied to us—he's lied to everyone!—about what he is. This bastard is no pureblooded wizard; he's a freak vampire who can perform magic!" Thai raised his wand to the height of Cain's head. "We've got to alert the staff. If they knew a _vampire_ was sitting around studying with us humans—"

"They already _know_, Hetzen, so you can shut your impudent mouth about wanting to tell the administration. Dumbledore personally handed me my acceptance letter to this school," Cain said. Both Azazel and Thai were staring at him with shock, but Cain smirked at them both. "Surprised at how a vampire could learn magic? So were the elders. I almost didn't come, but Dumbledore insisted that I come to Hogwarts."

"But, if the administration already knew you were a vampire, then why did you have to keep it a secret from us?" Azazel asked. Cain laughed heartlessly.

"What kind of parent would want their child attending a school that taught a _vampire_?" Cain sneered. "Rumors travel fast around here. You do realize the severe damage you could have caused me, this school, and my vampire clan should my true species be exposed to the student population, Hetzen? Luckily for me, everybody sees you as an insane twit begging for attention, so I haven't had to do a lot of convincing otherwise through my years."

Thai glared. "Well I don't care about your clan or _you_, for that matter. By exposing you, I'd be saving this school. All these students are at risk because of you coming here, Azazel at the most because you're _dating_ her!"

"You forget Dumbledore begged my elders to let me come. If there's anyone to blame, it's him."

"Everybody is given a choice to come here. You could have declined."

"So it is my fault for being curious and wanting to come learn magic, a factor that is very rare to my race?" Cain snarled. "You are nothing but an insolent child, Thai Hetzen. If you knew what was good for you, you'd stop while you're ahead."

"You're threatening me?" Thai hissed.

"I'm a vampire. I'm a threat to everybody," Cain remarked.

"Okay, _okay_!" Azazel interrupted. "Stop this, both of you!"

"Stay out of this, love. I don't want you to get hurt," Cain murmured, pulling out his wand and pressing his lips to the top of her head. He gently pushed her away as he started towards Thai, raising his own wand.

"I don't want _Thai_ to get hurt either! Come on. Let's just go to the party."

"Thanks for believing in me, Zel," Thai snarled sarcastically.

"He's a _vampire_, Thai. What do you expect? He'll rip you to shreds," Azazel explained. A smirk crossed Cain's face. "And besides, you know he's an expert dueler."

"I'm not going to lose this fight," Thai muttered to himself.

"You sure about that, mate, because she's right; I _am_ an expert dueler—with my wand, _and_ my teeth." Cain grinned wickedly, exposing all of his teeth, his pointed fangs glistening. "They're just _aching_ to puncture some skin. I'm _parched_, Hetzen. Want to donate some blood?"

"Cain!" cried Azazel in fear.

"You're not getting anywhere near my skin or my blood," Thai spat, but he couldn't help the chills that ran down his spine. Secretly he was afraid of what Cain would do to him. His suspicion was correct. Cain really was a monster, but he was also one of the worst kinds as well. He needed to keep Azazel away from him for as long as possible.

Suddenly, within a blink, Cain stood, face to face with mere inches away, before him, his eyes completely black and hungry. Azazel gasped and Thai held his breath, his eyes wide.

"I can drain you of your blood within mere seconds. Do you know how long it takes me to take down a fully grown unicorn and drink all of its blood? _Five. Seconds._ I'd think twice about crossing someone like because—" He nicked Thai's flesh with a quick swipe of his fingernail and wiped the blood from the wound. Thai instinctively clapped his hand over his neck, staring widely at Cain as he admired the droplet of blood on his finger. "—I can take away your life before it's even registered in your mind." Cain stuck his finger into his mouth sucked away the blood, sighing with pleasure.

Thai's breathing was heavy and he struggled to keep himself from shaking with fear. Cain grinned. "Scared, Hetzen? I sure hope so." Cain turned to see Azazel, her eyes as wide as dinner plates, her hands clapped over her mouth. "What about you, lovey? Afraid of me, now, or are you still in love with me?"

Thai averted his gaze to Azazel, who stared at Cain longingly. "Yes," she whispered, but Thai could barely make out the word. Cain seemed to hear it with ease, however. His grin grew and he could see the black reverting back to that beautiful nutmeg color.

"Yes to what, love?"

"Both," she murmured. Cain smiled softly at her and retreated his wand, turning his back on Thai as he walked towards Azazel. Thai watched as she let him caress her cheek with the same hand that bore the finger which held the droplet of his blood. He was in shock. How could Azazel let him touch her, especially after what he'd just done to him? Her best friend? Her brother-figure? Thai's heart was breaking again.

"How could you do this?" Thai piped. "How could you let him touch you after what he's just done to me?" Azazel tore her gaze from Cain and her green eyes landed on him, filled with sadness and surprise.

"She is in love with me," Cain piped. "Should you and Aislinn be in the same position as Azazel and me, you'd think no differently than her. I've learned that love makes you do foolish things." Cain's eyes returned to Azazel's face. "Very foolish things."

"Aislinn? Aislinn _Blair_?" Azazel inquired. Thai blushed feverishly.

"He's a git and he's stupid. He doesn't know what he's talking about," Thai muttered.

"Quite the contrary, I get O's in all of my classes, I received a perfect score on my O.W.L.'s, and I qualify extraordinarily for an Auror position. I don't think I'm stupid, Thai," Cain laughed. Thai glared.

"Whatever. I don't even care. Like whoever you want, just as I do the same. I'm not going to return the favor of being unsupportive of your love interest." Azazel's tone was monotonous, but he saw the hurt in her eyes. She was sad that after being friends with each other for a long time and confiding in each other, she wasn't being supported in her decision. The only reason why he was supportive was because she was dating _Cain Roman_, of all people!

Cain snaked an arm around her waist and held her close to him. He shushed her, kissing her cheek, and escorted her away, Thai glaring with a mixture of emotions swirling in his mind as he watched them walk away.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six, Azazel

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX  
AZAZEL

* * *

**

The party was immaculate with crystal and streamers from one end of the room to another. Festive colors lit up the crowded room and servers dressed in a formal uniform were walking around, carrying silver platters with bite-sized appetizers. Azazel felt Cain's hands press her close to his side, his arm snaking around her waist protectively, as if to show her off. He smiled to all of his friends, and Azazel tried to do the same, but they looked at her strangely, straining a smile in return. Azazel's mind was too occupied to even consider how rude it was to look at her as if she didn't deserve a man like Cain.

Cain's threats to Thai had scared him genuinely. She'd never seen her closest friend so terrified. Thai liked to talk big and he never admitted to his fears, not even to Azazel herself, but he didn't need to admit that he was afraid of Cain now, not after what had just happened in the corridor. And the worst part was that Azazel was afraid of him now, too.

She'd realized what he was when she'd figured out his secret, but it hadn't exactly kicked in, and when Cain threatened Thai with his vampire powers, she felt her gut twist with fright. But, sadly, she couldn't part from him, either.

"Everything okay, love? Are you enjoying the party?" Cain suddenly whispered in her ear, pulling Azazel from her thoughts. She suddenly looked up at him, meeting those gorgeous amber eyes and forced a smile, trying to make it as natural as she possible could, but with Cain's intuitiveness, she had a feeling he'd seen right through it.

"Of course," she lied. "The decorations are beautiful." He looked at her for a moment, arching an eyebrow, and Azazel was prepared for him to mention how she wasn't okay, but he continued, as if nothing was wrong.

"Is it everything you thought it would be? You're first Slughorn Christmas party," he chimed, like a proud parent.

"It's very nice," she agreed. "Why don't we get drinks?" Suddenly she paused, clamping her mouth shut. Would Cain drink regular cider, even if there was no blood added?

Cain smiled and nodded. "Of course." He escorted her towards the beverages table and picked up two glasses, and Azazel anticipated him to pull out a small vial of human blood. She stared as he took a gentle sip from his glass. He eyed her curiously.

"Are you waiting for me to add some blood?" he joked. Azazel widened her eyes and flushed. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, my dear, but you won't see me drinking anything but cider tonight." He let out a hearty chuckle, and Azazel forced a smile. "Let's sit down, shall we?" Cain suggested, and led them towards the back of the room.

They found a group of velvet emerald arm chairs and picked two to their liking. Azazel remained self-conscience around Cain, especially knowing his secret was true.

"You are taking my true identity very well," Cain started, surprise in his tone. Azazel forced a smile. "But I am not blind to your nervousness around me. Our encounter with your pest of a friend has shaken you up, hasn't it?"

"I'm fine," Azazel lied through her teeth. "There is nothing to worry about."

"Indeed," Cain agreed. He reached over and took one of Azazel's dainty hands in his two larger ones, caressing it with his thumbs. His gaze returned to match Azazel's eyes, and his look made her heart skip a beat. She was yet again mesmerized by his beauty. "Rest assured, my love, that you have no reason to fret over me harming you in any sort. I won't ever drink from you."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Azazel whispered. Cain dropped her hands and leaned back, waving his hand in the air with disdain.

"Bah! You are still caught up with your annoying friend?"

"Thai has been my friend for years—you know this," Azazel snapped. Cain closed his eyes for a brief moment, concentrating. Azazel had immaculate feelings for him, but she cared deeply for her close friend as well. If Cain were to ever do anything to Thai …

So why didn't she leave him when Cain threatened him only hours previous to the party? Had his serious threats not registered to Azazel that Cain wasn't playing around? She immediately felt ashamed of herself for not sticking up for her friend better. They'd even ended off on a bad note, too compelled in the idea of Thai not supporting her relationship with Cain. Perhaps he was right—perhaps Cain was a monster. This was why he wasn't supportive.

Azazel mentally shook her head. Cain wasn't a monster. He was a vampire, but not a monster. Monsters were hideous and cold-hearted. Cain was beautiful and proved to actually have a heart by falling in love with Azazel herself. That was the reason she stayed with him. She knew Thai was wrong. All ideas of him actually being right about Cain were gone, and when Cain opened his eyes again, her lips formed a genuine smile that was no longer forced.

Cain beamed at her smile and produced one himself. "Well, I see we have a change of mood, now," he chuckled. Azazel nodded.

"I just thought about everything Thai thought of you, and I realize that even though he is one of my closest friends, he's wrong about you. You're no monster." Cain's smile grew and he reached to grasp her hands again.

"But," she continued, "you have to promise not to harm Thai in any sort of way. Don't provoke him, Cain. He has a short temper—you already know—and he's bound to do something rash if you instigate a fight. Don't duel him if he's looking for a duel. Don't punish him for anything he does to you. Leave that to _me_."

"Because anything you do could possibly be much worse than what I can do to him, right?" He smirked. Azazel narrowed her eyebrows, a serious expression glazing over her face.

"No, but I won't be tempted to drink his blood if he gets under my skin."

"I don't drink from humans," Cain said. "I only use it as a threat—to scare him and to make sure he doesn't cross my path again."

"I don't care. I don't want you threatening him like that. Don't give him the idea that you will suck him dry of his blood," Azazel said sternly. A crooked smile crossed Cain's lips.

"I'm afraid it's much too late for that."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Cain brushed himself off and stood from the arm chair, setting his glass on an end table nearby. He extended a hand to Azazel.

"Come, love. Let's dance, shall we? Live up the night. After all, it's almost Christmas," Cain said soothingly. Azazel couldn't help but agree and took his hand, entangling her fingers with his as he gently dragged her back to the center of the room where scattered couples swayed to the graceful music of the string quartet in the corner. Azazel entangled her arms around his neck while she felt Cain's arms snake around her waist, pulling her body towards his. Her chest pressed against his, her head lowering and leaning against his collarbone. They swayed along with the other couples in quietness, draining the indistinct chatter in the background out from their peace. Dancing with Cain took away the heated conversation she'd just had with her boyfriend. They'd needed some clarifying, and they'd done it. Now all that was left was to enjoy the evening.

After hours of slow dancing, chatting amongst other party members, and spending some time snogging with each other in the back of the room, Cain and Azazel took their leave as the party began to end. Hand in hand they left Slughorn's gathering and Cain began to walk Azazel back to the Slytherin common room, heading towards the dungeons. They passed the archways where the moonlight from outside poured into the corridor, illuminating on the courtyard and the trees and stone benches around it beautifully.

"Wait," Azazel whispered, coming to a stop as she stared out the archways. A small smile tugged at her lips as she imagined herself enwrapped in Cain's arms underneath the moonlight. She was never one for sappy romance, but she really wanted nothing more than to kiss Cain underneath the white light from the moon.

"What is it?" Cain asked gently, snaking his arms around her waist from behind, leaning down and pressing his lips against her ear. Azazel felt her heart pound against her chest as the delicious scent emitting off of Cain slithered through her nose. She could already taste his lips.

"Kiss me underneath the moonlight," she said softly, not tearing her eyes away from the specific stone bench that donned the white light. The stone looked so smooth, like marble, underneath the lunar light.

Cain mused and chuckled softly, agreeing to her request. He escorted her out to the bench she wanted and, as they sat, he pulled her onto his lap, draping both of her legs with her full length skirt over one side of his lap. Azazel loved the feeling of his arms around her and, as soon as they locked around her waist, she pressed against his lips, combing her fingers through his hair, soft as feathers and black like a raven. She loved how his hands roamed her body, caressing her backside and thighs so delicately, trying hard not to defile her.

And as she remained locked in his arms, she knew that nothing could ever go wrong if there could be moments like this in her life.


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven, Remus

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN  
REMUS

* * *

**

The moon shone in an almost full orb that night. Remus Lupin gazed out of his window in Gryffindor Tower, sitting on the window sill while his close friends lay in their beds around him. He couldn't stop thinking about Aislinn, and how things would turn out if she were to find out what he really was. Something so important and dangerous about him couldn't be kept from his beloved gentle girlfriend. What if in his state of change he were to hurt her? He'd never forgive himself, and he knew Cain wouldn't forgive him either, especially because Aislinn was such a close friend to him, and he and Remus were in the same boat, yet Cain was able to maintain control of his natural instincts.

Remus sighed and pressed his head against the wall he was sitting against, his eyes tracing the aura of the white almost-full moon. He couldn't keep living the lie from Aislinn. It wasn't fair.

The worst part was that he wouldn't be able to tell her. Professor Dumbledore helped him to stay at this school, and he'd done so much for him, so how could he risk it all by letting the girl he loved in on the secret? He thought it was bad enough that his three friends knew, but they'd risked expulsion by becoming unregistered Animagi, so it had balanced out. They knew his secret, and he knew theirs. The same with Cain. He kept a dark secret as well, but since the two supernatural creatures knew the others secret, it seemed to be okay.

However, Aislinn had no dark secret. Sure he knew she wasn't one to spread rumors and spill secrets, but he still couldn't trust her with such a big secret, not until they'd graduated from Hogwarts. He couldn't wait that long to tell her.

"What are you thinking, Moony?" piped James Potter from his bed. Sirius Black had joined him on his four-poster bed. Between the two was a long piece of parchment with different flaps opening out to create an even bigger paper. Peter Pettigrew was secured in his own bed, snoozing peacefully with quite a few snorts and snores every two minutes.

Remus briefly glanced back his two friends and shook his head. He sighed heavily.

"I can't keep my secret from Aislinn anymore," he said. Sirius widened his eyes.

"You're not thinking about telling her, are you?" he asked. "What if she leaked?"

"Aislinn's smarter than that, Padfoot," James assured.

"No, Padfoot's right," Remus agreed. "What if she did spill? I mean, she is very honest and trustworthy and, not to mention, incredibly loyal—but that _what if_ keeps biting me in the back of my mind."

"What are you going to do?" Sirius asked.

"Keeping this secret from her is such a burden, but I know I can't tell anybody about it," he said. He took another deep breath. "I've got no choice but to break up with her."

The very words stung his heart, and he looked back out the window to hide the tears that threatened to escape from his friends. He loved Aislinn with all of his heart, but he knew he needed to put his education first before romance. What if he didn't stay with Aislinn and she had known about his secret? What if she _accidentally_ spilled his secret? He wasn't going to take chances, and he knew it was for the best that he break up with her. What if he severely harmed her in any way?

Sirius and James stared at him in awe.

"Are you really thinking that as your final resort, mate? You think it's best?" Sirius asked. Remus nodded and tilted his head back against the wall.

"I shouldn't have put her in such a risk. It's dangerous to be around me, and I realized that it's dangerous for me to be around her. We could end up hurting each other. Me with my lycanthropy, and her by spilling my secret. This is the best way."

"But the most painful, no doubt," James added.

Remus sighed heavily and his tears glistened in the moonlight that poured through their window, silently agreeing with his friend.

* * *

Remus walked down the corridor to the Great Hall the next morning, his brown hair tousled and his eyes sporting bags underneath his dulling eyes. He hadn't slept a wink last night, planning what he should say to Aislinn and how, and also fearing her reaction. She was going to be heartbroken that he was going to break up with her. He already dreaded the moment and felt bile scratching at the back of his throat.

Suddenly, a petite figure with long platinum blonde hair bounced towards him, her sapphire eyes big and bright, her full pink lips spread into a toothy smile. Even in her Hogwarts robes, Aislinn Blair was stunning. An aura of innocence emitting from her, and Remus felt his face drop with guilt. Imagining this adorable angelic girl torn and heartbroken was breaking his own heart. He had to remember that it was for both of their sakes. They just weren't right together.

"Remus!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his. Her mouth tasted so sweet, like a candy from Honeydukes, and he never wanted to part from her, but instead of continuing the kiss, he reluctantly parted from her.

She looked at him strangely, cocking her head. Her hair was left loose, fluttering about her shoulders naturally straight. Her side bangs were swept just above her thin eyebrows, and her dainty nose was slightly red from the cold. She was nothing short from angelic. It seemed impossible for a girl like Aislinn to be sad and depressed. To his great wishes, he hoped that she wouldn't take their break-up too hard, but it was a long-shot—she was much too in love with him, and he knew this because he felt the exact same way. They'd bonded, shared special moments cuddling in either of their common rooms and underneath the trees in the sunlight. They'd gotten to know each other, well, one more than the other, since Remus still kept that dark secret.

"What is it, Remus?" she asked.

He loved the way his name sounded when she said it. It sounded like it just rolled off the tip of her tongue, so smooth and right. How could they _not_ be right for each other? They were both excellent students, both attractive (however Remus tended to disagree with the idea of him actually being attractive), and had such similar personalities, they clicked right off the bat. Thinking of everything that made them the perfect couple made Remus's stomach crunch together, as if somebody were squeezing it tightly.

"We … we need to talk," Remus stammered softly, fearing that he might be sick in front of her. Aislinn's beaming face suddenly fell, all happiness vanished into thin air. She knew what was coming—Remus could see it written all over her face—but she was also confused. Why was he doing this? They'd been so happy together. Nothing was wrong with their relationship.

Aislinn couldn't speak, but she nodded and followed Remus back down the corridor. He headed towards the courtyard, where the trees were bare and the cold nipped at their faces. They sat on a stone bench together, scooting near each other only for body warmth.

"What's wrong, Remus?" Aislinn asked.

He gulped and felt the tears stinging at the edges of his eyes. She noticed and immediately began to tear up as well. Her worst fear was coming true. She was going to lose Remus, and he felt so damn awful about it. He'd never felt more sickening in his entire life than at that moment.

"I …" Remus took a deep breath and continued in a much softer and slower tone. "I don't think … that … we should do this anymore …"

Aislinn's tears rushed down further, and she clapped her hands over her mouth to keep herself from crying out. Remus felt dirty, felt pathetic, and he felt like a liar, but he kept telling himself that his education was more important than romance. Aislinn was just a school sweetheart. What was the chance that he was going to grow up and marry her? Yet, still, he loved her with all of his heart. He loved her like he never loved anyone else, because he really hadn't. Aislinn Blair had been his first love, and giving her up was like giving up his most prized possession.

"You have no idea how sorry I am, Linn," he murmured, tears rushing down his own face, "but you have to understand that there will be better men out there for you. I'm not the best man for you. I don't deserve to be with you."

"How can you say that?" she cried. "Couldn't you have let _me_ be the judge of whether you're good for me or not? You _are_, Remus! You _are_ the best man for me. I _love_ you!"

"I love you too," he replied, "but I know deep down that I am not good for you. I am not good enough."

"Rubbish, Lupin. Tell me _why_ you aren't good enough for me," Aislinn spat, glaring at him. He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head.

"I'm just not. I know you can do better than me. Please understand."

"I don't," she said flatly, sniffling. "You could at least give me a reason instead of leaving me here to wonder what I did wrong."

"_You_ did nothing wrong," Remus said firmly, "and don't you ever think that. This is all me. It's all my fault. You want a reason? Fine. I'm _dangerous_, and I don't want to harm you, because, if I did, then I could never forgive myself."

_"Dangerous?"_ Aislinn repeated. "How on bloody earth are you dangerous? Are you secretly a Linketh Kelgasus type of boy in disguise?" She was still glaring at him, and Remus was ashamed. Aislinn hated being left in the dark, and that was exactly what he was doing, and she knew it.

"You wouldn't understand," Remus said. "I'm so sorry I have to do this to you, but, Linn, I really do love you, and I'm only doing this for that reason."

"You're breaking up with me because you _love_ me?" she asked in disbelief, her voice dropping to a whisper. She shook her head and stood, and Remus's heart continued to break and break. He stood with her, grabbing for her arm on impulse to make her stay for just a few more minutes.

"Aislinn, wait," he said, and she stood there, her back to him. She refused to look in his direction. "Please understand."

"I'm sorry, Lupin," she snarled, "but I _can't_." She tugged on her arm violently and stormed back into the corridor, heading back towards Ravenclaw Tower instead of the Great Hall.

Remus watched her leave, and, with every step she took away from him, he hated himself more and more, but at least his secret was safe. However, thinking about what he did, he wasn't sure whether it was all that worth it or not.


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight, Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_**

* * *

**

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  


* * *

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT  
LINKETH

* * *

**

Linketh walked into Potions late, but at least he had turned up. He thought that he'd be able to spend some quality time with his permanent potions partner, Aislinn, but when he'd entered the room, he realized she wasn't at their desk. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion and ignored Slughorn's look of disapproving. Curious, Linketh sat at his desk, taking the chair next to Aislinn's vacant one, and set his satchel on the ground at his feet.

He combed his pale white spidery fingers through his pale blonde curls, combing them out of his face, but sighing with defeat when they bounced back in place. He tapped his combat boot-clad toe and consistently looked back at the door, as if Aislinn was going to suddenly appear and walk towards their table, however no luck was found.

Linketh began wondering where on earth she could be. He was completely ignoring Slughorn's lesson while the other students sat with their textbooks and parchment in front of them, but Linketh's desk remained empty. He was actually getting a little concerned about her not being here, and the idea that she might have skipped class to snog with her boyfriend, the insolent Gryffindor prat Remus Lupin, made his blood boil, even if the thought was highly unlikely. Aislinn just wasn't the type of girl to skip class to be with her boyfriend, but the idea still made his fists clench together tightly underneath the table.

His eyes began to wander, skimming the room, before landing on Cain Roman, his insides churning. He was sitting with his potions partner and girlfriend of one month, Azazel Zeela Yein. Normally, Cain was all grins, especially when he was with Azazel or his Ravenclaw friends, but at that moment, he was sporting a very neutral and deadpan expression, his lips pressed into a straight line. It made Linketh somewhat happy that Cain wasn't sporting his stupid charming smile, but the idea that Aislinn was not in class still disturbed him.

The remainder of the class was much the same. Linketh didn't exactly participate in the assignments Slughorn had given the class, but most of the hour was focused on partner-work with brewing potions, and given Linketh didn't have a partner to work with, he thought it okay to pull out his wand and burn marks on the edges of the desk. When the bell rang, Linketh quickly gathered his things and escaped the classroom before Slughorn could bother him with more lectures.

Images of Aislinn and Remus being enwrapped in each other's arms haunted his mind unwelcomingly as Linketh stalked the corridors. He took the back way near the grinning gargoyle to escape to the Slytherin common room. He didn't feel like going to McGonagall's Transfiguration class. Remus and Aislinn were too busy infiltrating his thoughts and poisoning him. He was cringing, his blood curdling, and his breath was growing heavy. Not only had his hatred for Remus Lupin grown, but he was thinking bad thoughts of Aislinn as well.

"Stop it, Dr. Alexander," he hissed to no one. "Don't make me do that. Not thoughts like that."

They were disturbing thoughts, thoughts quite gruesome and macabre. How could he think such things about sweet and angelic Aislinn Blair?

It was because he was mad—mad that Aislinn could do such a thing. How could she skip class to snog her boyfriend? What was Remus Lupin turning her into?

But it wasn't just his anger—he was learning that Aislinn being with Remus was actually breaking his heart, and he hated thinking about it. He hated that he actually had feelings to worry about now.

However, today wasn't the last day Aislinn was not in class. A week had gone by and her seat in Potions had remained vacant. He was beginning to consider an illness, rather than skipping class to snog Remus, especially because the latter still did not fit her personality. Linketh tried to overhear Slughorn and Cain's conversation about Aislinn, but Cain had given Linketh a wary eye, an eye that clearly told him this conversation was not for his ear, and Linketh decided to give up on the idea. At least she wasn't sneaking around with her boyfriend.

On the Friday of that week, Linketh left the Slytherin common room to attend his Astrology class for the first time in several days. He would be far behind, but since he was a genius student, he would catch on fast. Linketh was not vain about his intelligence, but he did take advantage of it. He was lucky that he was so smart that he could skip class and catch up on all of the work within several days and still finish that day's lesson.

He fixed his black leather satchel over his shoulder and sulked down the darkened hall, heading towards the Astronomy Tower. Professor Sinistra would definitely be surprised to see him. Usually during this time of night, Linketh would be in his dorm room, secluded on his bed with his wand pressed against his palm, muttering Severus Snape's invented spell, _Sectumsempra_, a curse that acted much like an invisible sword, slicing the skin affected, and watching the dark red blood ooze from his wounds.

However, today he felt the need to go to Astronomy. He didn't share it with the Ravenclaw students, so he wouldn't be seeing Aislinn by any chance—not that he'd see her anyway, as she did not turn up for Potions yet again—but there was an urge that was telling him to go to class. He figured it was probably Dr. Alexander taking control of his mind again and telling him what to do, which Linketh highly detested.

He walked past the Great Hall, which was practically empty save for the very few students working on homework and eating a late night snack, and approached the revolving staircases. He climbed a couple of staircases before arriving at the corridor that would lead him towards the spiral staircase, which would then lead him to the Astronomy Tower, when he caught the sound of soft sniffling. Linketh furrowed his eyebrows and proceeded towards his designated corridor, searching for the source of the sound. He normally wouldn't have cared, but many things were spiking his interest, perhaps it being Aislinn's absence in class.

He soon came to learn that the sniffling had been someone crying—a _girl_. Could it have been Aislinn?

Linketh approached a closed room and pressed his ear against its wooden door. It was definitely a girl sobbing, and though he'd never heard her cry before, he knew it was Aislinn. His heart pounded in his chest. Aislinn was _crying_? But … why? Was this the real reason why she hadn't been coming to class? Not because she was snogging Remus or sick, but because she'd been crying?

His fingers wrapped around the rusted knob of the old door and, though he didn't know why, turned it. Immediately, the crying ceased with a slight gasp. Linketh pushed through the door, the sheer light from the corridor pouring into the dark room.

It was a tiny room, like a broom cupboard almost, but not quite so small. Aislinn was curled up in a ball, her knees brought to her chin, in a corner, her platinum blonde hair sticking to her face because of her tears. Linketh's heart wrenched in agony seeing her like this. The feeling was foreign to him. Linketh had never been the one to feel agony, only to cause it.

Aislinn's bloodshot sapphire eyes darted to his in shock, wide as dinner plates. Embarrassment took hold of her face as she blushed feverishly.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, looking away. Linketh's eyebrows knitted together.

"I could ask _you_ the same question. Shouldn't you be in your common room?" he asked.

"What's it to you?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "What's it to anyone? They all want to keep me in the dark. Well, here I am."

"What are you talking about?" Linketh asked, walking inside and shutting the door behind him. As he did so, Aislinn's eyes widened again and returned to his face, bewildered about what he was doing. Linketh didn't take another step towards her until he took out his wand and lit it, and suddenly the complete darkness was gone. Linketh's bright wand lit the entire room, just dimly enough to see in front of their faces.

"What are you doing here?" Aislinn asked again. "Why aren't you in _your _dorm room?"

"If you don't answer my questions, then I won't answer yours," Linketh demanded. Aislinn pursed her lips and glared briefly before rolling her eyes.

"I want to be alone," she pouted.

"You're not that kind of person to want to be alone," Linketh said, studying her face. "You don't long for attention, but you like having a friend around. Where's your friend, Blair? Where's your disgustingly perfect bloke of a friend Roman? Since when do _you_ like being alone?"

Aislinn stared at him for a long while before tearing her gaze away from him.

"He's keeping me in the dark," she whispered, mostly to herself, but she was loud enough for Linketh to hear. He cocked his head, dropped his satchel, and then sat on the ground a few feet from her, leaning against a wall.

"Who is?" he asked. His pallid mismatching green and blue eyes studied her again. Since when had Linketh been so interested in other people's problems, especially people like Aislinn Blair?

Aislinn scoffed again. She clearly wasn't being herself. The angelic, gentle girl Linketh knew and (though he refused to admit) loved was not so full of attitude. He didn't like this new behavior.

"Why do _you_ care, Kelgasus? You of all people, especially. You hate everybody. You don't care about anybody. Why are you getting yourself involved in my personal affairs?"

"Calm down, Blair," Linketh snarled. "I was only curious. I see you'd really rather not have my company. I understand; I'm no twit. I'd much rather be heading towards Astronomy than engage in other people's affairs. You're right—why _do_ I care?" He stood and snatched his satchel, ruthlessly slinging it over his shoulder as his combat boots stomped towards the door. It was when he heard her voice call out to him that he stopped. Of course he stopped.

"Wait, Linketh," she said. He paused in his step, waiting for her to continue. Also because the way she said his name was so smooth and perfect, like it just rolled off with ease. "I'm sorry. That was incredibly rude of me. I don't know what came over me that made me say such things."

Linketh turned around and saw her bloodshot eyes filling with tears and sincerity. She was back, the normal Aislinn. What really was going on that was making her change egos, he wondered?

"So, does this mean you're going to tell me why the hell you're crying your bloody guts out?" he snapped.

"He broke up with me," Aislinn whispered, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "He didn't even give me a good reason why. He just said he was dangerous, but even that didn't make sense. I just don't understand. Everything was fine … How could this have happened?"

All of her words slurred together as her tears strolled down faster and her sniffles turned into sobs. Linketh widened his eyes. Remus Lupin had broken up with her? He couldn't help but wonder the same thing: why? Why had he done it? Because he's an imbecile and didn't realize that he had the most beautiful and perfect girl all to himself?

He walked back towards her and fell to the ground again, returning to his spot against the wall. He looked at her, trying to sympathize, but part of his heart was so excited, the feeling was actually annoying him. Aislinn was single. He didn't have to see her with any man, watch as she pressed her lips against anyone else's, see her wrapped in another man's arms. She was free.

But the other part of him hated seeing her so sad. It didn't even look right. Aislinn was shy, sweet, and angelic. She was never sad. She wasn't overexcited or too bubbly, but he'd seen her bouncy and giggly at times. Sad, however? Never.

"I don't understand," Aislinn continued to sob, shaking her head, covering her face with her hands. "I don't understand why he did it? He said nothing was wrong with me, but I know he's lying. He's keeping something from me. I just don't understand."

"He's a prat," Linketh spat, and Aislinn immediately lifted her head from her hands. "He doesn't know what he's just given up. Any fool could see how priceless a girl like you is. If there's one thing that he's right about, it's that this break should have nothing to do with your faults. You haven't got any faults, Aislinn, so don't think this has anything to do with something you've done."

Aislinn stared at Linketh, wide-eyed. He could see the surprise in her face. Linketh had never stuck up for anyone but himself, until now. Slowly, Linketh was revealing a new side to him, and it was new even to himself.

She wrapped her arms around her legs, squeezing them closer to her body as she slowly smiled at him, tears still strolling down her rosy cheeks, but at least she'd stopped sobbing.

"I've never known such a side to you, Linketh," she said softly. "I like it. Thank you for your words."


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine, Alixxis

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_

* * *

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  
_

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE  
ALIXXIS**

* * *

Alixxis threw her bag onto her table and dropped herself into her chair, Azazel parting ways with her to sit with her boyfriend, Cain Roman—the most handsome boy in the entire school, perhaps the entire world. Potions would be yet another drag to her day, especially with her potions partner, the incredulously moody Thai Hetzen. She slouched in her chair, blew a strand of her long, raven black hair out of her face, and crossed her arms over her voluptuous chest, anticipating for the class to already be over.

She didn't have to look over her shoulder to see that Thai had entered the room a couple minutes later—she just had to take a whiff of the air to know he was close by. His scent was peculiar to her, just like Cain's was so alluring and sweet, partly the reason she was drawn to him, but no more since Azazel became his girlfriend. She knew her boundaries, especially since Azazel was one of her better friends.

Thai's eyes were narrowed, as usual, his face sporting a foul glare. He snarled as he took a seat, having to witness the closeness of his closest friend and his greatest enemy. Alixxis couldn't see how in the world someone as cool as Azazel could be best friends with somebody as stupid as Thai. He was annoying, rude, and his very presence made her want to pull the Killing Curse on herself—or maybe even him. She hated her Head of House, Professor Slughorn, for pairing her up with him for the rest of the term; it was bad enough they'd been partnered for a six-week project. Even then she felt the end of the world would draw near.

"Moody much?" she piped, arching an eyebrow. "Then again, when are we not?" She scoffed and shook her head. Thai turned his glare on her, baring his teeth.

"I don't need any of your rubbish, Randelle, so why don't you turn around and put a dung bomb in your mouth, because we all know how much better of a change that would be," Thai sneered. Alixxis narrowed her thin eyebrows, deep green eyes turning into slits. She suddenly chuckled humorlessly before pulling out her sleek ebony wand, fondling it between her fingers.

"Hmm, now be careful with what you say, Ickle Hetzy-kins. Wouldn't want those lustrous blonde curls to go up in flames, now," Alixxis chimed in a false endearing tone. She grasped hold around the handle of her wand and playfully bounced Thai's curly hair with the tip of it, her plump lips twisting into a wicked smirk.

"Get off!" he growled, grasping her wrist tightly with his large, spidery fingers. Alixxis's smirk immediately dropped and began to seethe with fury at his grasp.

"Let me go, before I create a bloody hole where your crotch should be," she hissed, her eyes flashing with malice.

"Afternoon, class," Professor Slughorn beamed suddenly as he entered the room, his rotund figure draped in a plentiful of velvet robes. He was sporting a matching elf-looking hat that hid his bald head. His beady eyes automatically shifted to Alixxis and Thai and puzzlement took place over his face.

"Mr. Hetzen and Miss Randelle, could we please leave the romance until _after_ class?" he asked, slightly teasing. Both Alixxis and Thai widened their eyes in horror and moved inches away from each other immediately. Professor Slughorn smiled and proceeded to introduce a new lesson.

"Romance? Never in a million years with a psycho like _you_," Thai sneered under his breath. Alixxis laughed humorlessly, also in a soft tone so as to not be overheard by the professor.

"Please. No one even looks twice at you. They're too busy drooling over Cain," Alixxis said with an eye roll.

"Just like your pitiful self, especially because you know you're not even good enough to hook up with him," Thai bit back.

"Is that a bit of praise for Mr. Roman I'm hearing from you?" Alixxis smirked when she noticed Thai's glare.

"Not even. I was just indicating how much pathetic you were, especially because Roman is already one of the lowest species on the earth." Alixxis rolled her eyes.

"Hmm. Not very supportive of your best friend, are you? I always knew Azazel could do better with finding a better friend."

"Azazel betrayed me by going out with a mongrel like Roman. How _can_ I support her?"

Alixxis stared at him in disbelief. God, she wanted to smack him so hard. What kind of best friend _was_ he? She pitied Azazel.

She shook her head in disappointment and turned back to the lesson. How could someone with a scent like Thai be so coldhearted? Sure, she really disliked the boy, but with a saccharine scent like his … it didn't go together. It was putting a werewolf in the same room with a newborn kitten—the kitten would be devoured in no time … The two didn't go together. It was one of the things about him that always puzzled her brilliant mind. How could someone like Thai have such an appealing scent?

After the lesson, Professor Slughorn let them loose to a new partner project—Draught of Living Death.

"I'm pleased some of you attempted this potion," Slughorn had mentioned before he turned the students loose. "It really is a great challenge, although I'm afraid to say that none of the Draught of Living Death potions turned in were one hundred percent. But, not to worry! That is why we are studying it now! To correct what we did wrong and learn the right way to brew this fascinating potion."

With the way Thai always acted, Alixxis didn't have a problem pouring a cauldron of Draught of Living Death potion over Thai's head.

"Be careful with the valerian roots!" Thai exclaimed when Alixxis brought the ingredients to their table. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Thai was, as usual, overreacting.

"I _am_ being careful, you moron." She dropped the roots on the table and Thai glared at her.

"Open your potions book for me. I have to see how long the water should boil," Thai demanded. Alixxis glared.

"Open it yourself! I'm not your bloody maid," she snapped.

"I was just asking if you could do it, since I've got my hands full!" Thai snapped back.

"Oh, because stirring water is truly a difficult chore and requires all the hands on the planet to help," Alixxis said sarcastically.

"Will you two drop it?" Azazel snapped from a couple tables ahead of them. Her hair had shifted a vibrant red, indicating her annoyance and anger. "I can hear your banter from all the way up here. Shut it, won't you?"

The quarrelling classmates glared at her, but kept their mouths shut. Both knew not to cross Azazel with her red hair.

Cain Roman slid an arm around her petite waist and pressed his lips against her forehead to comfort her. "Shush, love. No need to get into others' affairs. Let us work on our own potion," he soothed. Thai rolled his eyes and groaned, stirring the water as he raised the flame underneath the cauldron.

Alixxis noticed many jealous gazes from the numerous girls of the class, their envious eyes glued to the newfound star couple. Actually, they weren't so newfound anymore. They'd been dating for well over a couple of months now, but there were still loads of gossip that fluttered the school corridors. Alixxis couldn't exactly blame the gossipmongers, however; Cain was beautiful with luscious amber eyes and silky raven hair that clung to the nape of his neck, bangs sweeping over his forehead. The tousled look of his hair was especially sexy, particularly because Alixxis was pretty sure Cain was unaware of how flawless and amazing it looked. Not only was his face extremely appealing, but his body was as well. Every female of the school longed to see what Cain looked like underneath that Ravenclaw uniform, and Alixxis wouldn't deny her as one of them—well, at least to herself. To anyone else, including Azazel, she would most certainly deny it. It was already sexy enough how his sweaters clung to his chest, outlining every crevice and plane of his torso, and how the sleeves molded his arms so finely. He was tall, and his legs encompassed in those black slacks displayed the lean shape of his long legs.

"Randelle! Dammit. Good for nothing, sodding little—"

_"What?"_ she growled as Thai clamped his mouth shut. "What do you _want_?" She hadn't realized she'd been staring at Cain for so long. She shook her head and flashed her green eyes with annoyance to her partner. The water was boiling now.

"Cut the sopophorous beans. I need to add the juices to the potion," he snapped. She sneered at him and then rolled her eyes. She reached for the pile of beans she brought and a little knife she'd retrieved when gathering supplies, bringing a little bean underneath the blade. She'd cut a few and rolled them over to Thai, who scowled at her for being so careless. Alixxis lifted her gaze and unexpectedly met eyes with Cain. She felt her face burn red as his amber eyes leered curiously at her, as if they were trying to understand something about her.

No … she thought. He understood her alright—his gaze was knowing, not curious, like he was reading her, seeing right through her.

Azazel remained oblivious to Cain's gaze, as she continued with her own project, and Alixxis immediately looked away. Alixxis only had one secret that she'd managed to keep from everyone, including the staff, but Cain's intimidating gaze scared her. He stared at her like he _knew_ what she was—like he _knew_ she was a lycan.


	31. Chapter Thirty, Thai

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_

* * *

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  
_

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY  
THAI  
**

* * *

The library was quiet during lunch, with a few murmurs from different groups. Thai sat towards the back of the library, isolating himself from the interaction.

Alixxis sauntered over to his table and dropped a couple of leather-bound textbooks in front of him, the loud thud practically echoing off of the library's tall walls. Madam Pince scurried over to see what the noise was. She glared at the duo and Alixxis rolled her eyes as she walked away.

"Old bat," she muttered under her breath. Thai rolled his eyes. Alixxis was so overdramatic. He couldn't believe how unlucky he was to be paired with her _permanently_ for the entirety of the year. After all, this was his seventh and last year; couldn't Slughorn have been so kind as to pair him up with Aislinn Blair, sparing them both from their miserable partners?

"Could we just get this over with? I'd rather not be here," Thai sneered. Alixxis narrowed her eyes at him.

"Bloody hell, what's got your knickers in a bunch? Oh wait, don't tell me—they're_ always_ in a bunch. Still got you wand twisted because of Azazel and Cain, don't you?" She sighed and sat on the opposite side of the table as Thai glared harder at her. "Seriously, you need to get over it. I know you're so in love with her, but you're really going to stop being friends with her because she loves somebody else? Talk about being such a dreadful best friend." She scoffed and shook her head.

"You know what, Randelle? You _really_ need to stop sticking your bloody fat nose into my business. You think you know _everything_, but you really don't! I am _not _in love with Azazel. I hate that she's dating Roman for my own personal reasons. You'd never understand. You're too stupid, too vain, and too bloody annoying to grasp any concept and understand, so I'm not going to waste my time explaining anything to you," Thai snarled, and then gathered his breath. He'd said everything in just one gulp of air.

Alixxis sneered at him and rolled her eyes. "You are such a toddler. Grow up, Hetzen; as if I really want to know your entire life story. It wouldn't be remotely as interesting as a flobberworm. So don't flatter yourself thinking that I would be sticking my nose into your business, because I'd rather not, but as you are my potions partner, your attitude still affects me. Now just open up a bloody book and start searching for ingredients."

She pulled a book towards her and flipped it open. Thai pulled one to himself, seething with fury as he watched her, but didn't open it. He _really_ wished he could switch partners.

His diamond grey-blue eyes darted over Alixxis's head and he caught a glimpse of long blonde hair, the fairest he'd ever seen. Aislinn's petite figure waltzed towards a table, placing a tome of her own on it. Her eyes were big and shining, true happiness swimming in the vast icy blueness of them. Her plump pink lips were turned into an immaculate smile, the one that always made Thai's heart pound in his chest when she flashed it to him.

He knitted his eyebrows together. It wasn't strange to see Aislinn so happy, but she'd recently gone through a devastating (well, devastating for _her_) break-up with Remus Lupin. She'd been distraught, and had even missed a couple days of class because she couldn't concentrate. Thai always listened to her crying in her dorm room, which secretly broke his heart, only because she was so sad, but he also felt triumph. Now it was Thai's turn to help Aislinn. Now was his time to make him seem like the hero. He could comfort her into finally falling for him, after all of those long years.

But he never got the chance to. Either she was being comforted by Cain Roman or a group of Ravenclaw girls, Thai never got Aislinn to himself, which did irritate him. He was never given the chance to make her fall for him. How fair was that?

His eyes skimmed over her features, her angelic face bright and glowing with smiles of happiness. What had made her so happy? She and Lupin weren't back together, so what else could it have been?

It was then that he noticed that Aislinn wasn't alone. Why he hadn't noticed him before he didn't understand. Perhaps it was because Aislinn's features were so alluring that he never noticed anybody else, but now that he had snapped himself back to reality, he noticed the other figure, the other boy.

Linketh Kelgasus, his tall lanky figure towering over Aislinn even while sitting down, was sitting directly next to her, their bodies far too close in proximity for Thai to like. His wild, white-blonde curls fell over his visage, but Thai could still see his mismatching pale green and blue eyes, which were locked onto Aislinn's face. The bloke was so bloody creepy; how could Aislinn not see this? How could she allow him to look at her this way?

She opened the tome for them, placing it in the middle for them both to read off. Linketh muttered something, which made Aislinn burst into joyous laughter. It was a melodic sound, but Thai was repulsed that it was Linketh making her laugh. He noticed his thin lips spreading into a crooked smile, and Thai was taken aback. Had Linketh even ever smiled before?

Alixxis lifted her head, blocking the pair from Thai's vision, and Thai blinked multiple times. She narrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Thanks for helping me, git. I'm not searching through both books for our ingredients. This is a _partner_ project," she snapped. She noticed him staring beyond her and knitted her eyebrows together. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly, but Alixxis turned anyway. She noticed Aislinn and Linketh smiling at each other, and was immediately taken aback.

"What has happened to the world?" she gasped softly. "Linketh Kelgasus smiling _affectionately_? I wasn't even aware he knew how to smile! Reckon he's plotting a recipe to cook Blair in?" She scoffed and shook her head, returning to her book as she flipped the thin page. Thai sighed heavily before glancing back at Aislinn.

She was really happy. She was full of life and giggling. Linketh appeared happy as well, which was much more odd than anything. He pondered the thought that they could actually be fancying each other, which Thai didn't like at all, but he thought about what Alixxis said. Thai was clearly unsupportive of anything that didn't go his way. He was unsupportive of Aislinn's relationship with Remus, with her friendship with Cain, with Azazel's relationship with Cain, and even her friendship with Alixxis (since he was not fond of the girl at all). Thai was just a bitter crab that was selfish and wanted things his way, and he knew it. Perhaps that was why Aislinn never took any interest in him—she didn't like how he never supported anything.

It still puzzled him that Aislinn could fall for a guy like Kelgasus, as he was creepy and solemn and very vampire-like, but he was equally as shocked that a girl like Aislinn would satisfy a guy like him. Linketh wasn't into girls, period. He wasn't into anybody. Nobody knew affection was even in his vocabulary. Did he have a loving bone in his body? He constantly spoke of feeling joy when he watched people bleed, threatening to murder them on the spot, to watch them writhe in torture. How could a girl as gentle and caring and angelic as Aislinn possibly satisfy him?

And then, Thai realized that his time with Aislinn would never come. They'd never be more than friends. They'd never become a couple, get married, have children, and grow old together. There would be no romance between them, and he realized that he had to get over that. He'd spent seven years in love with Aislinn Blair, hoping that one day she'd wake up and realize that her soul mate was Thai Hetzen. He spent many years fantasizing about the both of them. What was the point, anymore? Her choice of men was unpredictable. She'd gone from a kind and sincere boy like Remus Lupin from Gryffindor, to a dark and sulky boy such as Linketh Kelgasus from Slytherin.

He finally opened his textbook and agreed to follow Alixxis's demand. It was time he started paying attention to his schoolwork and stop worrying about who Aislinn would fall in love with next. It wasn't his business. He couldn't make Aislinn fall in love with him, no matter what he did.

"Find anything?" he asked gently to Alixxis. She looked up at him, puzzled, clearly noticing the softness of his tone rather than his usual bark.

"Yeah, actually …" she stammered. "I've found lurkwood and grindylow tentacles for the brew." She ran a hand through her long raven hair, her deep green eyes staring puzzled at him. He rolled his eyes.

"You can stop staring at me," he snapped, which seemed to break Alixxis from her trance.

"What was with the gentle attitude? Since when are you ever gentle towards me?" she snapped back, her eyes narrowing. Again, Thai rolled his eyes and he scoffed.

"I wasn't being _gentle_," he said defensively. "I was just asking if you'd found anything for our potion."

"Well, I did," she shot back, "and it's more than what you've accomplished. We won't have all day, you know. We need our ingredients for tomorrow's class. We're having double Potions, you know."

"Yes, I realized that," he sneered, but the look of disgust immediately vanished from his face. He found it amusing Alixxis's reaction to Linketh's sincerity towards Aislinn. Perhaps she wasn't as bad as Thai figured her out to be, even if she did support Cain and Azazel.

He blinked and shook his head, almost laughing out loud at what he'd thought. Who was he kidding? Alixxis Randelle was terrible.


	32. Chapter Thirty One, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_

* * *

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  
_

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE  
CAIN  
**

* * *

Hand in hand, Cain and Azazel walked down an isolated corridor together, the cool evening breeze brushing against them as they passed the open arches leading to the courtyard. Cain squeezed her dainty hand gently in his, rubbing his thumb over her skin. She was so soft, which Cain really loved about her. He loved how her petite appearance often deceived those who thought she was gentle when she was actually fierce and bold. She didn't need Cain to stand up for her. Actually, he enjoyed watching her snap back witty comebacks to those who angered her.

He stared down her, coming to a halt, which stopped her as well. Azazel faced him, gazing up at him with curious green eyes, her hair falling just passed her shoulders in dark purple, pin-straight locks. She arched an eyebrow when he grinned at her, caressing her jaw with his palm.

"What is it?" she asked. Cain shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied nonchalantly. "I'm just so grateful that the emotion I've longed to experience I'm finally experiencing with you."

Azazel's eyebrows rose to her hairline and her eyes widened. A shy small spread across her lips, which was rare, as Azazel was never shy. Quiet, yes—but shy, hardly.

"You're in love with me, Cain?" she whispered.

"Indeed," he murmured, narrowing the closeness between their faces. Azazel reached up with one hand and cupped one side of his face, pressing her lips against his. Cain was once again thrown into the blissful universe that only revolved around his love for his Metamorphmagus.

His hands traveled down her neck and arms, finding a secure place on her hips. Azazel's arms snaked around his neck, tightening to lift herself and press her face into his. His eager lips moved faster against hers, and he felt her lips anxiously keep up. He could keep this up all day; after all, he didn't need to breathe. However, Azazel being human, she did.

They parted briefly, so she could catch her breath and crashed into each other's lips again once she was ready. With Cain's elite senses, he knew where the walls were behind him, and where the pillars stood and where the statues were placed. He pulled Azazel up against his body and backed into a wall. Her hands roamed behind his head, entangling her fingers into his black hair. Cain's adventurous hands caressed the small of her back, slightly lifting her sweater. Absentmindedly, one of them left to cup her shoulder, his thumb rubbing her collarbone.

It was then that Azazel parted from him, staring at his lips, her pink ones swollen from their hardcore lip-lock. Her breathing was heavy, and Cain looked down at her inquisitively.

"What is it, love?" he murmured.

"I want you to do something for me," she whispered, her eyes never parting from his lips.

"Anything, love."

A smile pranced on her lips as she leaned up to peck him briefly. She tugged on the hair that clung to the nape of his neck gently before she whispered her request.

"Drink from me, Cain," she said seductively.

The blood that traveled through his body ran cold. He pushed her away from him gently, looking at her with a cautious expression. She wanted him to _drink_ from her? Drinking from humans went against the entire code of conduct Cain and Dumbledore had agreed upon. Azazel couldn't be an exception. It was too dangerous. He wouldn't be able to control himself. He could kill her.

"Azazel …"

"It's romantic, isn't it?" she continued. "Drinking from another person—it'll be romantic."

Cain gulped. He wasn't completely confident he should go through with this. It wasn't safe for the both of them.

"I don't think I should. It's dangerous, Azazel," he said sternly. She gazed at him curiously.

"But everything will be fine. We'll both be in utter bliss," she assured.

"I'm afraid," he whispered truthfully. This brought a smile to her face and she bit her bottom lip, continuously tugging on the hair at the nape of his neck.

"It'll be okay, Cain," she said with a chuckle.

"What if I drink too much? What if I don't stop? I could kill you, Azazel. I could drink your body dry of its blood. I'm deprived of human blood, you know. I've only survived on animals. I may become too attached," he explained.

"You _won't _drink too much," she said confidently. "I trust you."

After that, she pressed her lips against his again and Cain found confidence to give her what she desired. It had been years since he'd fed on a human, since he'd tasted human blood. It made his mouth water just thinking about Azazel's thick and delectable blood running down his lips, down his chin, and coating his fingers.

He shook his head of the image. He wouldn't be _feeding_ off of her. That would be what kills her. Instead, he would puncture her skin, only so that barely any blood would be released. Nothing monstrous … just romantic.

He moved his lips to her own a while longer before parting from them and trailing down her chin, then to her jaw, and then down her neck. He brushed her hair away from her shoulders and stretched the neck of her sweater to give him access to her jugular. She sighed heavily as her arms fell limply over his shoulders.

The scent of her blood wafted through his nostrils, leaking through her bare pallid skin. It was so inviting, he wanted to smother himself with it, but he contained himself. He wouldn't kill the woman he loved.

He bared his fangs and pressed them against her skin. Azazel slightly gasped before falling into a heavy moan. He could taste the thick liquid washing into his mouth and he lapped at her wound delicately, not removing his fangs. The moment her blood touched his tongue, however, he immediately fell into another blissful universe, but this one was drenched in red. His body felt light and his head swam in dark colors. Cain shut his eyes and enjoyed the blood, sucking her neck as she continued to moan.

But what Cain was drinking wasn't enough. The small puncture wounds weren't supplying enough blood. Cain wanted more. He _thirsted _for more. He dug his fangs deeper into her neck until his lips were completely pressed against her skin. Azazel gasped, tugging on his hair violently on impulse. His sucking was more than just gentle now. He was really drinking from her, and he loved it.

"Cain … Cain stop," Azazel gasped with fear. She continued to pull on his hair, hoping to pull his head back with it, but he was latched onto her, like a leech. He wasn't letting loose.

"C-Cain! Cain, stop it!" Her pleas were becoming more desperately, and Cain felt teardrops fall onto his neck, but he didn't care. He wasn't in love with Azazel anymore—he was in love with her blood. He'd become the monster of the forest yet again, only this time he was back to feeding on humans. How long had it been since he'd fed on real, mouthwatering blood? Far, far too long ….

Azazel cried out, screaming as her blood was quickly being stolen from her. Cain wasn't satisfied with his new wounds either, so with his nails elongated into claws, he grasped her throat and tore it open, the thick blood pouring out much quicker. Azazel fell into permanent silence, but Cain was too consumed in his hunger to realize what he'd just done.

He lowered her body, straddling her as he opened his mouth wide to cover the wound he'd made in her throat. He sucked the blood out of her like a vacuum, lapping at the excess around the hole he'd made, staining his face, his hands, and his clothes with her red liquid.

And while Cain was much too absorbed with his meal, he didn't even notice the horror-stricken boy who grew so close to Azazel for half of his life.

He did, however, hear a yelp, which tore him away from his meal. His eyes landed on a white Thai Hetzen, whose eyes were wider than dinner plates, his jaw dropped open and his lips pale. The color had washed away from his face as he stared at the lifeless and massacred body that was his best friend.

Cain's black eyes narrowed and his bloodied lips twisted into a most wicked grin. He showed his fangs to him, and stood from Azazel's body, folding his arms over his chest casually, as if there was nothing wrong.

"Evening, Hetzen," he greeted. "Off to the common room, are you?"

Thai was speechless, which made Cain's malicious grin grow wider. There was not a single sane membrane in his mind any longer. He was lost in vampire-mode.

"What have you done?" Thai choked out. Cain could hear the unsteadiness of his heartbeat and his breathing. Nothing was making Cain more happy than Thai's ultimate fear, other than Azazel's blood of course.

"Caught me, haven't you?" Cain said with a shrug. "You're suspicion has finally been proven. I _am_ a vampire. What are you going to do now? Run off to Dumbledore, since you've got no more friends to talk to, as I have killed off your only one?" A humorless, cruel laughter bellowed from Cain, echoing off of the walls.

"You … you … she … I …" Thai stuttered, and Cain mocked him before laughing cruelly again.

"She's dead, yes. Quite delicious, might I add. Would you like a taste?" He held out his fingers, which were coated thickly in her blood. Thai stared horrified at them.

"You _are_ the monster I've always known you were," Thai whispered.

"Yes, yes. We've already established that. So, who sold me out? My beautiful and delectable girlfriend, or your little _puppy_, Randelle?"

"What are you talking about?" Thai demanded. Cain smirked.

"Don't you know? Your potions partner isn't who you really think she is," he said. He opened his mouth to explain what he meant, meaning to sell out Alixxis's ability to morph into a lycan, but he was interrupted. He glared briefly at Thai, but the smirk grew wider when he turned around.

"Cain Roman," boomed Dumbledore, standing before him. His blue eyes were narrowed into slits, a large frown pulling at the edges of his lips.

"Well hello, Professor," chimed Cain, clapping his bloody hands together. "Reckon you're here to see the show."

"There will be no show, Mr. Roman. I am appalled with what you've done," he gasped, choking on his breath as he looked down at Azazel.

"She asked me to do it," Cain said slyly.

_"Bullshit!"_ screamed Thai. "You damned crazy monster! You murdered her!" Cain laughed.

"Mr. Hetzen, beckon Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn. No student shall pass by here," Dumbledore instructed, withdrawing his wand to summon a shielding spell.

"It appears your intentions are coming across a tad late, however," Cain said as he eyed beyond Dumbledore. Several groups of students were huddling behind the headmaster, shocked and screaming at the sight of their dead classmate. They took one look at Cain and were shocked just as well.

"You can thank your headmaster for her death," Cain announced to the students, eyeing them before locking gazes with Dumbledore again. "After all, he's the one who wanted the vampire to attend school."

Dumbledore was silent, but his eyes remained narrowed. Cain turned three hundred and sixty degrees, looking at the students who'd come to witness Cain's coming out.

"And all of you are witnesses to a murder. Shame on you." He clucked his tongue teasingly before grinning again. He caught the shocked face of Alixxis Randelle and licked his lips.

"And you, Miss Alixxis, would you like to be next? After all, you do know so much about my kind. Don't you _long_ to be one of us? Don't you _long_ to be just like _me_?" he taunted. Within the blink of an eye, he appeared before Alixxis, the crowd around her gasping and backing away. Cain stood before her petrified state, holding her chin with his fingers, smearing Azazel's blood on her skin. Her eyes widened with fear, and Cain could feel the chills through her skin.

Even with his back turned, Cain knew Dumbledore had raised his wand to him. When his curse was released, Cain, within a heartbeat, blocked it, whipping out his own wand and pushing Alixxis out of his way. Cain glared at Dumbledore.

"Not such a smart move, old man," he snarled. "You forget how well a dueler I am. Dare to go against a vampire?"

"Vampires aren't supposed to learn magic," Dumbledore snapped.

"And now you know why," said Cain. "I've become far more powerful than you desired. I've become stronger than _you_, Dumbledore! Why not make _me_ headmaster, eh?" He cackled and shot a hex at Dumbledore, who barely blocked it, but stumbled back. The effect was, indeed, far greater than he'd anticipated.

"It was wrong for me to believe you would be able to contain your thirst. You were doing so well, but you are not as strong as you believe you are. Leave the school—the country. Wallow in your regret. I will curse you if you do not," snarled Dumbledore, raising his wand again.

"Is that a threat, old man?" Cain seethed.

"You loved her!" cried a voice from behind. Cain narrowed his eyebrows and turned around. Aislinn Blair, his closest and most innocent friend, emerged from the crowd, Linketh Kelgasus staring maliciously at him as he walked behind her. Her face was sad and confused and hurt. "You told me yourself that you were in love with her," Aislinn repeated firmly. "After all of this time trying to find love, you found it, and then you just threw it away! You _are_ a monster!"

Linketh held her away from him as Cain hissed at her, but her words filtered through his ears and awakened his calmer self. His eyes drained from the black that filled them, returning to the beautiful nutmeg color.

Cain looked around him, slowly realizing what had happened. Fear was taking hold of his body. The people around him were glaring, shock and afraid and full of hatred for him. Finally he took one glance at Azazel. The blood was still wafting through his nose, but he was fighting the urge to return to his hungry alter ego.

He glanced back up, meeting gazes with Dumbledore, and then Aislinn, and finally Thai. What Cain done?

"The Ministry will be on your tail," Dumbledore said, his wand cautiously up as he walked towards him. "Your clan will disown you. You've made a big mistake, Cain."

And Cain had realized it. He choked on the words _I'm sorry_, not even able to really pronounce them. He felt his eyes sting. Everything was crashing down on him. He couldn't be who he wanted to be; he couldn't be with the girl he loved; he would be shunned from those who accepted him.

Cain backed away from Azazel's body, his body shaking, and he took off through the courtyard, leaving Hogwarts and everything he'd destroyed forever.


	33. Chapter Thirty Two, Alixxis

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_

* * *

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  
_

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO  
ALIXXIS  
**

* * *

Alixxis fumbled with her shaky hands on her way up to Professor Dumbledore's office. In fact, her entire body trembled with nerves. The events of last night had shaken up the entire school, or at least those who'd witnessed it. As for those who hadn't seen the show, they were either grateful or disappointed that they hadn't been there.

Alixxis was especially shaken up because of Cain's approach to her, asking if she wanted her blood drank from her. He knew about her fantasy of becoming a vampire, and he knew she spied on them. He even knew about her being a lycan. Just a couple of days ago when his eyes had pierced through her, her suspicions of him knowing about her had been true. Cain knew _everything_ about Alixxis Louise Randelle.

She shuddered and shook her head of the thoughts. Tears were stinging the edges of her bright green eyes as she thought of the demise of her best friend, Azazel. How could Alixxis overlooked something so obvious as Cain's vampirism? She knew his scent was different. Perhaps that was why it was so delectable and alluring. Even after all of the time she spent in the forest, spying on the wild vampires and gathering their scents—couldn't she have put two and two together? She cursed herself for being so stupid.

She sniffled and finally approached the door to Professor Dumbledore's office, but before she turned the knob, she heard voices. Curious, she pressed her ear against the door and listened to the muffled voices of two males. One was obviously Dumbledore's, and she depicted the other voice belonged to Remus Lupin, the Gryffindor who gathered himself in the clique he and his friends called "The Marauders."

"Professor, I don't think it's a good idea," said Remus. "After the events with Cain, how could you possibly allow someone like me to stay at this school?"

Alixxis's eyebrows knitted together. Why exactly did Remus want to be sent home, because it was the same topic Alixxis wanted to discuss with Dumbledore? She was finally going to come out with her own dark secret. She figured she might as well, as she wanted to protect the students from herself. Never had she thought that she'd needed to do so, but with last night's event ….

"Mr. Lupin, I assure you that you will be fine here for the remainder of the school year," Dumbledore replied comfortingly.

"It's not _me_ I'm worried about; it's the students. What if I lash out on them like Cain did with Azazel?"

Alixxis pondered Remus's words. Was he indicating that he wasn't human either? How many supernatural creatures had Dumbledore _allowed_ in the school? Alixxis sniffed out Remus's scent. It didn't match Cain's vampiric smell. Instead, he smelled rather canine-like. Could he be a wolf lycan just like herself?

Alixxis couldn't wait any longer. All of the thoughts about her shape-shifting were clouding her mind and she needed to clear it. Now was the time to confess everything to Dumbledore.

She twisted the doorknob and opened the door. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, and Remus was standing before it. She witnessed him tucking a bottle into his robes, and he stared at her, alarmed. Professor Dumbledore merely arched an eyebrow.

"Miss Randelle, this is very sudden," he said. "May I help you?"

"I have a request for you to send me home, sir," she said, marching into the room, her Slytherin robes billowing behind her. She glimpsed at Remus, who gave her a curious gaze. "Yes, I overheard. You want to be sent home too."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Professor Dumbledore, this is an invasion of privacy," he complained to the headmaster. Instead of scolding Alixxis, he raised a frail hand to silence Remus.

"It is indeed," he agreed. "However you two share many things, both remarkable gifts and dark secrets of your own."

Alixxis eyed Dumbledore incredulously. He'd _known_ about her secret as well? Was there anything Professor Dumbledore _didn't_ know? She supposed not, as he was the headmaster of a prestigious school, and one of the more powerful wizards of the world.

Dumbledore chuckled and smiled at Alixxis. "Yes, my dear. I know about your secret as well. Why don't you both take a seat and we'll discuss your requests together, as you both seem to have the same thing in mind." He waved his hands in the air and two golden armchairs appeared from behind them. They took a seat in front of his desk.

"You both want to be sent home because of the nature of your _other disguise_, am I right?" he started. Alixxis and Remus eyed each other through their peripheral vision before looking back at Dumbledore and nodding.

"I can harm people just as much as Cain did," Remus said. "What's worse is that I can't control it, and it lasts longer. Cain is able to control his urges."

"Are you saying Cain purposefully murdered Azazel?" Alixxis snapped in disbelief, whipping her head towards his direction.

"I don't know. I don't know why he did what he did, but he could have stopped himself. He didn't have to go to that extent," Remus said. "Look, Cain was my friend too. We shared each other's secrets. He knew what I was, and I knew what he was." Alixxis's eyes widened with surprise, but Dumbledore kept a calm façade. "He always did tell me he was dangerous, but he was always able to keep control of his hunger. He lasted seven years at this school without feeding on a single human."

"What could have provoked him to suddenly snap, then?" questioned Alixxis.

"Cain did say Azazel asked him to do it," Remus mentioned, slowly and softly.

"Oh right, because she was just _begging _for a death wish!" exclaimed Alixxis. "You really think Azazel would ask for someone to drink her blood? How thick did you think she was?"

"I never meant to say she was thick," Remus defended. "I'm just stating facts."

"Well they're stupid. Cain could have been bluffing. Azazel would _never_ be so stupid. If she'd known Cain was a vampire, then none of this would have happened."

"How do you know she didn't know?" asked Remus.

"Because she would have told me, you imbecile!" Alixxis cried, tears pooling at the edges of her eyes, threatening to stream down her cheeks.

"Regardless of whether Miss Zeela Yein knew of Cain's vampirism or not, what's done is, unfortunately, done. Both of you, however, are not of any threat to the students here at the school," Dumbledore said. Alixxis and Remus grew puzzled expressions.

"Professor, but I'm a—" Dumbledore raised a hand to cut Remus off.

"Perhaps Cain was provoked by Miss Zeela Yein. It wouldn't surprise me if he really was telling the truth—that Azazel had actually asked him to drink from her."

"But why would she do that?" Alixxis blurted.

"In any case, yesterday night Cain Roman was not in control of his urge, and that was my unforgivable mistake. I should have known better than to allow a vampire to enroll into Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

"You feel that way about a vampire, but not about someone like me?" Remus asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"For what could I give a vampire to stop or calm his urges?" he asked. "There is no antidote for a vampire—nothing to suppress their powers. You, Mr. Lupin, on the other hand are very fortunate because, despite your condition, there is a potion that can suppress _your_ powers."

Alixxis knitted her eyebrows together as she turned to Remus beside her. It suddenly dawned on her what he was. Remus Lupin wasn't a wolf lycan—he was a _werewolf_.

"The Wolfsbane Potion," she murmured. "You're a werewolf."

Alixxis knew the dangers of a werewolf during a full moon, and she was surprised that Dumbledore would allow a werewolf, alongside a vampire, to enroll in the school as well. Two extremely dangerous creatures being taught amongst a vast amount of human students—it was unthinkable. Any sane headmaster wouldn't have allowed it. Alixxis was surprised that the Minister of Magic was knocking on his office door as they spoke, requesting his resignation for admitting dangerous species to be taught alongside human children. Perhaps Dumbledore really was a daft old man.

"Is that the potion you slipped into your pocket?" she asked gently. Remus looked away from her for a brief moment before meeting her eyes again and nodding solemnly.

"As for you, Miss Randelle," Dumbledore interrupted. "Your condition is far less complicated than Mr. Lupin's and Mr. Roman's combined. Being a lycan has much similar advantages, very similar to Animagi, only you were born a wolf lycan, weren't you?" Alixxis pursed her lips and nodded at her headmaster. He grinned at her and folded his hands. "You, my dear, have nothing to fear. The goodness in your heart is much too great. Especially after witnessing the death of your friend, you wouldn't dare lash out on any other student in your lycan form.

"The same goes for you, Mr. Lupin, though in a different sense. The Wolfsbane Potion, as you know, keeps you from letting your powers get too out of control when the full moon arises. You are reduced to that of an ordinary wolf during your time, and your isolation in the Shrieking Shack provides great safety for both you and the students. You two have nothing to fear. I know you will not do anything as rash as Mr. Roman has done. It is a great deal we are all suffering, and I am making sure I do not make the same mistakes I have made to cause this to happen." He looked at the both of them with a sincere and confident expression, leaning into his desk.

"Besides," he continued, stroking his lengthy white beard, "wouldn't it be a shame to leave on your last year of school, not being able to graduate? You two are marvelous and brilliant students. I'd hate to lose two more of the likes of you."

Alixxis hadn't realized that she'd been crying until Dumbledore peered into her eyes, his piercing blue orbs narrowed while a smirk played on his lips. She smiled in return, wiping her eyes and sniffling.

He dismissed the two of them afterwards, allowing them to return to their common rooms. Remus and Alixxis walked out together, silent at first as they descended down the staircase, but then broke into conversation when they arrived at the corridor.

"So, you're a lycan," Remus started. "A wolf lycan."

"And you're a werewolf," Alixxis stated in return.

"I guess he was right," Remus chuckled, shrugging. "We really are alike in many ways."

"We both share a dark secret—"

"—and we both have remarkable gifts," Remus finished.

"I guess being brilliant enough and having enough trust that we won't go about killing students are remarkable gifts," Alixxis chuckled, and Remus grinned crookedly.

Never had Alixxis thought that she'd make friends with a werewolf, let alone one from Gryffindor.


	34. Chapter Thirty Three, Linketh

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_

* * *

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  
_

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE  
LINKETH  
**

* * *

The funeral for Azazel Zeela Yein was nosy, but that was only because everybody around Linketh was sniffling or sobbing uncontrollably. He pitied everyone for being so solemn, not that he wasn't himself, but they displayed their sorrow for more clearly than he did. Linketh kept a calm and cool façade, sporting his trademark frown, but not his trademark glare, which was becoming habitual.

Aislinn was tucked underneath his arm, her head pressed against his lean chest, sniffling and silently crying into it. He stroked her soft, platinum blonde hair, combing it out of her face and behind her ears. He knew Aislinn didn't know Azazel too well, at least not as much as the Slytherins had, but she was still a classmate nonetheless. She'd also been dating Aislinn's closest friend—who, ironically ended up being her murderer. Knowing this, Aislinn had become eternally traumatized. She had trouble trusting anybody now, reserving some trust for very few people, including Linketh himself and the irritant from Ravenclaw, Thai Hetzen, who, in return, had actually been Azazel's best friend. Linketh supposed in a way Aislinn did have a connection to Azazel, as Azazel was connected to the two people Aislinn was close to.

Linketh's mismatching pale blue and green eyes gazed around the funeral area. The guests were circled around Azazel's closed black casket. Bouquets of dark flowers moated the casket, and her moving portrait was perched on an easel for people to remember her. Her face wasn't bright and smiley, because that wasn't the type of person she was. However, she was displaying a slight smirk, her long hair a dark purple color with deep green eyes. Linketh recalled the colors of her appearance from when she'd died, which was especially hard on Azazel's friends.

Next to Azazel's casket were her parents. The Squibs, he remembered. He recalled there being a time where he'd taunted her, mocking her parents and their magic ability. He knew Azazel had always been afraid of becoming a Squib, just like her parents, and he'd used that to make her hair turn white with fear. He felt guilty for doing so, his stomach involuntarily churning as he looked at her devastated parents.

He looked away from them. He couldn't stand to see their faces, especially because of the awful stuff he'd said to their daughter about them. His gaze drifted across the circle, landing on Thai Hetzen and Alixxis Randelle, who were huddled together, crying in each other's arms. Seeing both of them display their emotions was a surprise for Linketh, as they were both insecure about letting others see them vulnerable. Now it appeared that they just didn't care, but that was because their closest friend had just passed.

Professor Dumbledore emerged from the crowd, his tall thin body draped in grey robes that fell to the ground. The sky above them was greying with clouds as the sun barely poked its rays through them. A rain was due soon, Linketh knew.

"It is of great appreciation that you all have arrived to this emotional event. Today we gather around to remember a great, noble, and incredibly brilliant student and friend, Miss Azazel Zeela Yein," Dumbledore announced. "She was undeserving of her untimely death, the fates not playing in her favor. However, she will always be remembered as the tremendously talented and incredibly gifted young woman she was.

"If anyone would like to say a few words, please feel free and come forth," he added, stepping aside to give room to anybody who wanted to speak. It didn't surprise Linketh that Alixxis was the first person to stand up to the casket. She clutched a white carnation tightly against her black clad figure, raven hair falling into her face as she ducked her head. When she approached the casket, she lifted her head, revealing her bloodshot eyes and tearstained face, and combed her hair out of her face, placing it behind her ear. She set the white carnation down on the casket, pressing her hand against it.

"I couldn't have asked for a greater friend," she started, only instead of speaking out to the circle, Alixxis spoke directly to the casket. "I knew since we were first years that we'd be best friends. I remember how quickly we clicked when we were both Sorted into Slytherin—when we sat next to each other during the start-of-the-year feast—when we were thrilled that we'd be sharing a dorm room. I could tell you anything and supported your relationship with … _Roman_." She hissed when she said his name, but she soon calmed herself and continued. "You never ceased to amaze me, Zeela Yein. You were the sister I never had."

She broke down in sobs yet again when she said this and backed away. Thai came up from behind her, providing a comforting around her as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest. Linketh felt Aislinn grasp his black sweater as she watched the two of them, and he, yet again, felt her teardrops soak through his clothes. His arm around Aislinn tightened.

A couple more people when up before Thai did. He wanted to wait until Alixxis had stopped sobbing, and, for once, Linketh understood his reasoning. If it hadn't been for Aislinn, he wouldn't have known anything about affection for others. The day he comforted Aislinn in the broom cupboard was the day he allowed those long-locked doors to finally open—doors that led to affectionate and loving emotions.

Thai also clutched a white carnation—it was the flower of choice to place on the casket. He stood tall and lanky in a black turtleneck, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, which clung to his torso and made him appear more unhealthily skinny than he already was.

"Azazel had been my first friend in England," he started, glancing at the smirking portrait before gluing his eyes back to the grass. "My brother was still attending Durmstrang, and my parents were far too busy to notice me, so I spent a lot of my time outdoors near moors and forests.

"One day, I saw a brightly-colored-haired girl, crouching and holding a stick. She'd been poking at something, and when I approached her, I noticed that she was actually dissecting a dead frog. I was thoroughly repulsed, but she noticed me and flashed a childish grin. I honestly thought the girl was mad, but as the years progressed, we came to understand each other, despite our differences. I was fascinated by her Metamorphmagus ability, and she wanted to hear more of Bulgaria from me."

Thai glanced at the casket and clutched the flower so tightly by its stem, Linketh thought it might snap.

"I'd always know Cain Roman was a monster, and Azazel knew it too. I told her my theories. She didn't think he was a monster—I always believed it was because she'd been charmed by his looks—but she knew there was something different about him, so the two of us went out on a mission. She told me she thought he was a vampire, but she'd already fallen in love with him and decidedly dated him afterwards, and I thoroughly detested this." His eyebrows narrowed and he looked down at the carnation. "I couldn't stop her from dating him. I couldn't keep her away. They were attached to each other, like leeches. I knew he was dangerous—why didn't I tell somebody? I kept his secret a secret from everybody else, and I unknowingly contributed to her death. This is my fault."

Aislinn suddenly tore from Linketh's side, sobbing as she ran towards Thai's crippling figure. He was bent over, his face masked in his palm, and his knees were buckling. Alixxis came out to Thai's side as well and the two girls comforted Thai as they sobbed together.

Linketh's heart pounded in his chest, and it surprisingly went out to Thai. He pitied the guilt that he carried, believing that he'd contributed to Azazel's murder. If he hadn't opened up to other people's feelings, he would have agreed that it was Thai's fault. But now Linketh knew more about feeling sorry for people and seeing the entirety of a situation. It wasn't Thai's fault at all. It was just an event of great misfortune.

Azazel's mother appeared at Thai's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. Aislinn and Alixxis glanced up and moved away from them, standing side-by-side and watching the pair.

"It isn't your fault, sweetheart," Mrs. Zeela Yein said softly, but loud enough for Linketh to hear. "Never think that. What happened did not happen because of you."

"I wasn't supportive of her," Thai sobbed. "Our friendship ended in pieces. She died before we could ever make amends. How could I not feel guilty?" Linketh saw tears streaming down Azazel's mother's face and she wrapped her arms around Thai, rocking him back and forth and shushing him.

"Azazel knows now," she murmured, and glanced at the moving picture. "She knows you were just looking out for her."

Linketh stared at the picture of Azazel. It was still strange that she wasn't going to graduate from Hogwarts with them. He'd known her all of his Hogwarts life. He'd teased her, taunted her, and even scared her—the bold and fierce Azazel herself. But he felt bad for what he'd done. With her intelligence and cleverness, she would have made it very far in whatever she wanted to do.

He stepped forward and took to the center of the school. People were shocked to see him standing forth; even Aislinn was. But she soon smiled at him, giving Linketh confidence.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and looked down at Thai and Mrs. Zeela Yein.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to say something," he said. "If you're finished, that is."

The pair stood up and unleashed each other. Thai's bloodshot eyes narrowed at him, but he nodded, giving him a small smirk. It was an appreciative smirk—a smirk that somewhat showed his thanks to Linketh for saying something for Azazel. Linketh nodded in return before facing Azazel's portrait.

"It'll be strange not seeing you at graduation," he started, mumbling at first before speaking clearly. "You detested me just like everybody else did, and I detested you just like I did everybody else. But now I understand things that I hadn't before. Even though you knew Cain's secret, you weren't afraid of him. I guess this was because you loved him. If this were a couple of months ago, I would have thought you were a moron for letting this get to far, and for staying with a creature so dangerous"—Linketh noticed the glares he was receiving for what he was saying, but he continued and ignored them—"but I know what you felt for Cain. You were in love, and you didn't see a monster. Whatever his intentions were from the beginning, it was _you_ who refused to let his true identity get in the way of your love.

"Even though Roman turned out to be genuinely evil—a fact most of you probably didn't know—I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks for seeing past the monstrous side of him. It probably wasn't a good idea, but you followed your heart. Before Roman, I was seen as the vampire monster at the school, feared upon because of my indifference and lack of kindness, but because of the girl _I_ love, I'm able to push all of that away and start anew—because this girl has given me a chance, because she's seen passed _my_ monstrosity."

Linketh's eyes wandered over to Aislinn, who's tears were streaming down her face, her bright blue-grey eyes glistening with a wet film. Her nose was pink from sniffling, and her plump lips were turned into a wide smile, as if to tell him, yes … I have seen passed your monstrosity. He smiled at her in return before turning towards the casket and placing his palm on it.

He lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry for everything I said about you and your family. Hogwarts has truly lost a genuinely talented student such as yourself." He backed away, then, returning to his place in the circle. Aislinn met with him then, wrapping her arms around his middle as he tucked her under his arm again.

"That was wonderful, what you said up there," she whispered. "And you're right; despite you're dark façade, I still see and loving and handsome boy. You've really changed." Linketh smiled at her and squeezed her affectionately. And then, to his great surprise, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his thin ones.

Linketh never felt the same again. He was a new man with new emotions. He'd finally learned what it was to feel affection.


	35. Epilogue, Cain

_**Harry Potter fanfiction  
THE DARK SECRET  
**_

* * *

_Dedicated to BrutieBoots, because she's been waiting long for the continuation of this story (even though this is the rewrite). (:  
_

* * *

**EPILOGUE  
CAIN  
**

* * *

Cain knew for sure his future would be bloody. It was almost like a vision to him. All he saw was red. After the event with his beloved Azazel, he felt nothing but regret and remorse. He tortured himself, tempted to kill himself, but there was no escape. He saw her frightened face in his mind, burned to the backs of his eyelids so that whenever he closed his eyes, she was there.

He was abandoned. He'd stumbled into their territory, and they were aligned at the border, fangs barred, forbidding to let him through. They'd known what he'd done.

Severino stepped forth, his thin white scarred and long, glossy, white hair illuminated by the moonlight. His pale bare chest was draped with the fur cloak, and his legs encompassed with dark brown trousers. Leaves and twigs snapped underneath his bare feet.

His black eyes were narrowed as he approached Cain.

"You are stained with human blood," Severino growled. Cain stood hesitantly before the eldest elder. His face and hands and clothes were smothered with Azazel's blood.

"You've killed a human," snarled the second elder, Dane, his voice deep and rough. "You have broken your promise. You let the humans know what you are!"

"It wasn't intended!" Cain cried defensively. "She wanted me to drink from her."

"You would obey an imbecilic human of such a request?" Mikhail, the third elder, questioned, appearing at Severino's side.

"I didn't want to drink from her. She said she trusted me." Cain's voice trailed off as he thought about some of the last words she'd said to him that weren't crying out in protest for him to stop. She'd trusted him to control his thirst, to handle her carefully, and he let her down. He felt an ache in his chest and was going to be sick on the spot.

"She _trusted_ you?" Severino repeated. "You asked us once about falling in love, and we told you that it was foolish business. You ignored us. Do you want to know why it is not in our nature to fall in love? Because when you do, you fall weak and vulnerable, just as you have."

"You have destroyed everything we've worked hard to build. Our secret is loose. In order to save the school, the ministry will be forced to drive us out. You've ruined us!" snarled Dane.

"The Forbidden Forest has been our home for centuries. What a foolish idea to let you attend school. Look at what you've done to us!" exclaimed Mikhail.

"We are forced to flee now," Severino intercepted, his voice deep and calm, yet full of disappointment. "You've destroyed everything, Cain. You are no longer a part of this clan."

"Wait—"

"We're _not_ waiting any longer, Roman," Severino snapped. "You've disobeyed your elders. You are _banished_."

Cain knew to never talk back to an elder, so he couldn't argue with Severino's decision. The vampires around her glared maliciously, as if they wanted to rip his skin off of his body. He backed away from them and ran from the forest. He ran from the school until he reached the Black Lake's shore. In an outrage, he tore off his sweater, tossing the shreds into the water.

Cain really _had_ destroyed everything. Why had he let Azazel talk him into drinking from her? He knew it was dangerous and risky, considering he'd been parched of human blood for nearly seven years.

How could he have done this to himself? The elders were right; he was a fool, and he'd destroyed everything. He had no lover, no clan, no school … he was truly alone.

His hands molded into tight fists, so tight that his claws punctured his palms. He was angry and upset. If nobody would love him, then he didn't care. The world was his enemy now.

* * *

The air was crisp and cool, a much tamer temperature in the dead of winter. Dark clouds were rolling over and it would snow sooner, just as the weatherman had predicted it would. London was due for a heavy snowstorm soon.

A lone figure drenched in a black trench coat and dark slacks, a black scarf loosely wrapped around his neck, trudged through a quaint village. He was a young man with fine, ageless features, and black hair that was darker than the leather he sported. His skin was as pale as the snow and his eyes were narrowed and dark, almost black, which contrasted frighteningly against his white skin. Still, he was extraordinarily handsome, but that was because Cain Roman was a vampire.

It had been just two years since the death of his first love, a Metamorphmagus by the name of Azazel Zeela Yein, and he'd grown into nothing but a hungry monster, despite it being the reason why she died. He feasted out of rage and sorrow and refused to control his feeding. After all, it was a vampire's nature to feast on human blood, and he'd been long deprived of his natural food for far too long whilst attending the wizarding school, Hogwarts. His mind was eaten away by remorse, and he knew nothing but hatred. He cared for no one, not even himself.

Dark days were ahead. Throughout Cain's years at Hogwarts, an evil dark figure had risen to power, gone by the name of Lord Voldemort. He was a destroyer of humans, Muggles and magic folk alike. Cain wasn't very fond of this Dark wizard's intentions when he'd first arrived at school, and, now that he fled, he held no specific care for him either. After all, Cain, too, was going out of his way to murder any human who walked in front of him.

The village was quiet and still. The rise of the Dark Lord had scared many wizards and witches senseless. They did everything in their power to hide from the Dark Lord, as they valued their lives more than anything. Cain walked about the lonesome village, fully aware that he was being spied on.

A presence emerged from behind him, and it bravely called out to him.

"You there! Boy," announced the harsh voice belonging to a demanding female. Cain's upper lip twitched with annoyance before he slowly turned around, his expression kept straight, except for the arching of one eyebrow.

He was met with a tall, slender woman, dressed in black robes. Her hair was long and a glossy black color, whilst her eyes were dark and glowering. Two other individuals—men, Cain could tell, based on their brawny figures—stood behind her, also dressed in black robes, the hoods of their cloaks draped over their visage.

"Might I help you with something, madam?" Cain asked, monotonously. The woman leered at him.

"What is a boy like you doing walking about the evening streets all by his lonesome?" she cooed.

"My age tells me I am far older than a mere boy," Cain replied, tilting his chin upwards. He was a couple inches taller than the woman, and raising his head gave him greater height and authority.

"Don't you know what we are?" she chimed in a high voice. She pulled out a wand from her pocket. "Wandering the streets by yourself, boy, is quite dangerous in this day and age. You could get hurt—or worse."

For the first time that night, Cain's lips twisted into a wicked grin, which made the woman and her comrades glare at him.

"Such a shame you don't realize what _I_ am," Cain said, and he flashed his large fangs at them. They gasped and stepped back.

_"A vampire!"_ gasped one of the men.

"Indeed, you are _not_ a boy," the woman said. She studied Cain's face, her dark eyes tracing his features as her thin lips winded into a wicked grin. "But I'm sure _he_ will have great use for someone like you."

"Bella," one of the men protested.

"Don't you agree, Yaxley? A vampire on his side will truly make us an even greater superpower," the woman explained. The man called Yaxley stared back at Cain, his eyes leering at him, before he reluctantly agreed with his female comrade.

"He?" Cain questioned.

"My dear," Bellatrix Lestrange beckoned, stretching out a thin hand. Her sleeve rose and revealed the slithering mark on her arm: a skull sporting a serpentine tongue. "You will find great comfort alongside the Dark Lord."

Cain stared at her for a while and thought this over. He loved the scent of blood, and the followers of the Dark Lord did nothing but kill people. They went hand in hand, really, and Cain could not deny that the Dark Lord would really fancy a vampire on his team.

Cain's grin appeared on his face yet again as he walked towards the lurking trio. Bella was right—he would find great comfort alongside Lord Voldemort. After all, Cain was a vampire, and it was a vampire's nature to feed off of humans. He would most certainly be of great use.


End file.
